The Honorable Granddaughter Hikari Sarutobi
by twilight girl456
Summary: Hikari Sarutobi has just become a full fledged ninja! Follow her as she faces obstacles, sadness, and many challenges with her teammates and Sensei! Sorry for the crappy summary! SasukexOC
1. Enter Hikari Sarutobi!

'_**Beep, beep, beep, be-'**_ I slammed my hand down on the snooze button of the alarm clock, groaning slightly. I didn't want to wake up, but I knew that I had to. Sleepily, I sat up in my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before raising my arms up above my head, stretching them and yawning loudly. I kicked the covers off of me and swung my feet around, letting them touch the cold wooden floor. I stood up and walked over to my bedroom door, opening it and walking out into the hallway, moving over to the door across from my room and opening it, walking inside and over to the bed where a small lump laid, bundled up in the covers. Gently, I shook the figure.

"Konohamaru, time to get up." I shook him a bit more when he didn't even budge, just mumbled something incoherently. I sighed. "Konohamaru, if you don't wake up now, you won't get to eat any breakfast. You know how Ebisu-sensei gets when you don't get to your lessons on time. And if you're late again, I'll be the one that get's chewed out for it." When he only mumbled for me to go away and let him sleep, I lost my patience. "KONOHAMARU SARUTOBI, GET OUT OF BED RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

This time, he shot up. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'M UP! I'M UP!"

I only smiled, patting his head. "Good! Now, hurry up and get ready so we can eat breakfast!"

He saluted and I walked out of the room and back into my own, changing out of my pajamas and into my normal outfit, which consisted of a light purple top that had short sleeves, and a pair of blue-jean capris, along with my regular everyday shoes. I grabbed my hair brush and began to fix my hair, which just reaches my shoulders, tying it up into a messy ponytail, and smiling at myself in the mirror.

Today was just going to be another ordinary day anyway.

I quickly went and brushed my teeth before running into the kitchen and getting two bowls down from the cabinet. I grabbed the box of cereal in the pantry and poured it into the two bowls, getting the milk out from the fridge and pouring it into the bowls, putting the milk away and sitting back down and starting to eat. Eventually, Konohamaru came into the kitchen, wearing his ridiculous helmet and that way too long scarf, sitting down in the chair across from mine with a toothy grin on his face as he dug into his cereal. I smiled slightly as I finished eating my own bowl of cereal, standing up and placing it in the sink. I glanced at the clock on the wall, and it was only 8:15. Class didn't really start until 9:30, but I liked to get there early.

"Hey, Sis! Are you really gonna become a real ninja tomorrow?" Konohamaru asked, getting up and bringing his bowl over to me. I grabbed the bowl from him and placed it in the sink with mine.

I nodded my head. "That's right. After today, I'll be a ninja."

"Wow! That's so cool, Sis! I can't wait until I graduate to become a ninja! And then, I can finally beat Old man and become Hokage!" Konohamaru said, an excited grin on his face.

I sighed at my little brothers statement, patting him on the head while sending him a smile. "Ok, Konohamaru. You keep working on that, but we have to go." I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door with me, being sure to lock the door behind me before we set off.

Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Hikari Sarutobi, Kari for short, of the Sarutobi Clan. I'm 12 years old, a resident of the Leaf Village, and the granddaughter of our Villages Hokage. Currently, I'm a student at the Ninja Academy, which I will hopefully be graduating from tomorrow and become a full fledged ninja. My younger brother, Konohamaru Sarutobi, is only 8 years old, and pretty much my everyday responsibility. Our parents died quite some time ago when I was only 8 and Konohamaru was just 4, and since then, I've taken care of him, much to many peoples objections.

We reached the Hokage Residence and found Ebisu-sensei standing in the front, apparently waiting. When he noticed us, he seemed somewhat happy. "Honorable Grandchildren! It's a pleasure to see you both up and early! Honorable Grandson! For once, you have manage to get here an hour before your lessons start!"

I sweat dropped as Ebisu-sensei went on and on to Konohamaru about how he would help him become a most honorable Hokage, and how he could only help him achieve such a thing. Of course, Konohamaru ignored him, moving off and waving bye. I waved back before walking off and heading to the academy, reaching it in just a few minutes.

I entered the Academy building and headed for the classroom, walking in to find it mostly deserted, save for two people, those people being Iruka-sensei, the instructor of our class, and a fellow classmate, sitting in his seat that was towards the back of the room, several strands of his black hair falling into his face while he wore his usual cold look upon his face.

This boy, is Sasuke Uchiha, a silent and a somewhat cold person in my view, and the "heartthrob" of Konoha, seeing as how practically every girl that see's him is instantly love struck. I mean, sure, he was very good looking, but he always ignored people, and even when he spoke to someone, it was either to tell them they were annoying, or to tell them to shut-up. Usually, he just ignored them.

"Good morning, Hikari!" Iruka-sensei greeted me, a smile on his face.

I glanced over at my sensei and gave him a smile. "Morning, Iruka-sensei." I greeted.

Iruka-sensei was like any other teacher around, except for the fact that he has to deal with us pretty much everyday. Although you really wouldn't guess it when you first meet Iruka-sensei, he's a very quick-tempered person, and usually if one of us does something to interrupt the entire class and take away time that could be used for learning, we all have to suffer for that one persons actions. And that's when he usually got mad. And he's actually pretty scary when he's mad…

I moved over to my seat near the back of the room, plopping down and sighing. Everyone else would be coming in a few minutes, so the wait wouldn't be long. But still…just sitting here without anything to do is pretty boring. I glanced over at Sasuke, deciding to take a chance.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

He glanced over at me, his eyes holding a bored look in them. "Hn."

I sweat dropped, dropping my head down onto my desk, making a thud. "Why do I even bother?"

I gave up on trying to strike up a conversation with Mr. Cold, and decided to stare out the window where I had a perfect view of the Hokage Monument. I frowned though when I noticed that there was something wrong with the faces. It looked like…someone had written on them with paint.

I was about to say something about it, when two other Academy Instructors ran into the room. "Iruka! It's Naruto! He painted the Hokage faces!"

"WHAT?"

"We can't catch him!"

Iruka-sensei clenched his hand into a fist, shouting something angrily before he ran out of the room, the other instructors going after him.

* * *

When he came back into the classroom, everyone was in their seats, talking amongst themselves until they noticed that he had come back, all of them becoming quiet. Iruka walked all the way into the room, dragging his biggest pain behind him. He sat Naruto, who he had tied up with rope, in the middle of the room, everyone mentally groaning when they knew what was about to come.

"I'm at the end of my rope, Naruto." Iruka began, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning down at the blonde. "You failed the graduation test last time, and the time before that. Tomorrow, you've got another chance and you're messing up again." The blonde turned his head away from him defiantly, as if he didn't care. And that was the final straw for Iruka. "Fine! Because you missed it, Naruto, everyone will review the transformation jutsu!"

"Awww!"

0o0o0o0o0o

"Sis, Sis, tomorrow, you're gonna become a ninja, right?"

I sighed as Konohamaru asked me the same question for the billionth time. "Yeah. And when I become a ninja, I'll be able to go on missions and stuff."

Konohamaru stared at me with admiration in his eyes as he put another dumpling in his mouth. "Missions? So cool! I wif I could gof onf miffins!"

I laughed at him. "Don't talk with your mouth full of food, Konohamaru. And you'll be able to go on missions when you graduate from the academy!"

He swallowed and grinned at me. "And then one day, I'll be the Hokage!"

I smiled at his dream, patting his head. "Well, Mr. Future Hokage, finish eating your dinner so you can get a bath and go to bed."

"Done!" He exclaimed, handing me his now empty plate and shooting off and into the bathroom.

I walked over and put the dishes in the sink, running some water and putting in some soap and grabbing a sponge, beginning to wash them.

Tomorrow was the big day, and I was excited.

**The next day~**

"We will now start the final exam. When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on," Iruka-sensei paused, reading the paper in his hands, "-the clone jutsu."

Several students around me all seemed to get hopeless looks on their faces. I mentally squealed in delight though. The Clone jutsu technique is one of the easiest techniques that I can do without fail, so for me, this was an easy passing grade.

"First up is…Naruto Uzumaki."

Although I wasn't really friends with Naruto, I was still hoping he would pass. I watched as he followed Iruka-sensei out of the room, all of us staying quiet. About 2 minutes later, we finally heard something.

"YOU FAIL!"

"GAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Only took him two minutes to fail…" Shikamaru said, putting his chin in his hand, "This is such a drag…"

"It's not that hard, Shikamaru. You'll be fine."

Naruto came back in, looking a bit downcast as he picked up his goggles from his desk before he sulked out of the room. It was kind of disappointing because he looked like he really wanted to pass this year too.

"Next: Hikari Sarutobi."

I stood up from my seat and walked over to Sensei, following him out of the room and into the testing room, where another of our instructors, Mizuki-sensei, was seated at the desk, Leaf Village headbands lying on top of the desk. He smiled at me as I walked over to stand in front of the desk.

"Are you ready to show us what you've got, Hikari?" Iruka-sensei asked.

I nodded. "You know it!" I put my hands together and made a hand sign, closing my eyes and concentrating my chakra. "Clone jutsu!"

I reopened my eyes to find three perfect clones standing next to me, all of them grinning. I looked back over at Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei, both of them nodding before looking at me with a smile.

"Congratulations. You pass!" Iruka-sensei congratulated me while Mizuki-sensei grabbed a headband and walked over to me, handing it to me.

"You're officially a full fledged ninja."

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**A/N: I've been wanting to write a Naruto fanfic with a Sasuke OC for quite sometime now, and I finally found the motivation to do it. I will admit that towards the middle, it got a bit plain and crappy, but I'm hoping that I can make it better! Leave a review! LATER TATERS!**


	2. Teammates

**A/N: Heh, last chapter was really crappy to me, but at least one person reviewed, so I guess that means I should probably continue! Ok, enjoy this chapter!**

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The day after I graduated, I had to go get my picture taken at the Hokage residence. I had been expecting a line, but the place was deserted, save for the photographer and his camera. It didn't take more than a minute and one nice smile for me to be finished and sent on my to the academy so the Hokage could approve my picture.

I sat in the chair in front of the desk, awaiting for them to say something. Finally, grandpa did. "What a nice picture, Hikari. You smile just like your mother."

I scratched the back of my head and laughed sheepishly. "Thanks grandpa."

"Your picture has been approved." He said, giving me a small smile and a nod.

"Ok. Is it alright if I stay here and help out?"

"That would be very nice of you."

I grinned and walked over to stand next to him, checking the list of who was next. Just then, Naruto walked in, his picture in his hand. I was actually surprised, because I thought he failed. Perhaps he had done something else to pass…Hm. He walked over and handed the picture to grandpa before seating himself. I leaned over to look at the picture, my eyes going wide. He looked…ridiculous. He had painted his face and he looked really….creepy.

"Er…" I glanced over at him, and he scratched his head, laughing sheepishly.

"Hmm…" Poor grandpa was probably so shocked he couldn't figure out what he should say.

"At first, y'know I couldn't figure out exactly how to do it. It took me like 3 hours to work it out and stuff. But, finally, I got it. Like, an art project on my face, only cooler." Naruto explained to us, giving us a thumbs up.

"Take it again." Grandpa said as soon as Naruto finished explaining.

"Huh? **NO WAY**!"

"We can't accept this photo."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not doing it again!" Naruto stated, beginning to glare at grandpa. I sighed, shaking my head and ignoring the entire exchange they were having, until grandpa fell backwards in his chair from a nosebleed that Naruto had caused by transforming into a half naked girl. I sent him a glare as I helped grandpa up and gave him a tissue to wipe his nose with.

After telling Naruto to never use his 'sexy jutsu' again, he moved on to the topic of the whereabouts of Naruto's headband. "And where is your headband, Naruto? You're supposed to be wearing it."

Naruto played with the goggles on his head. "Oh, I'm not putting it on until the orientation. I don't wanna mess it up."

"So, you want your headband nice, but your photo, which is supposed to identify you makes you look like a clown," I couldn't help but laugh at that, "It's for ninja training and missions which is the key to your future. Look at this picture, you can't even tell who it is."

"Well, fine! How am I supposed to know all this complicated stuff anyway?"

Something caught everyone's attention, and it was the door opening, revealing Konohamaru, a ninja star in his hand. "Old man! I challenge you! I'm going to defeat you and become the Fifth Hokage! WAAHHH!" He didn't get very far because he tripped over air and face planted into the floor.

"How embarrassing…" I mumbled shaking my head as Konohamaru curled up and put his hands to his face, mumbling something incoherent, though I think he was actually crying.

"OWW!" Grandpa sighed, pulling his hat down a bit as Konohamaru sat up rubbed his face. I noticed that Ebisu-sensei had appeared, standing in the doorway and staring at Konohamaru in shock as he rubbed his head, growling a bit. "OOOOH! Something tripped me!"

"Are you okay, Honorable Grandson?" Ebisu-sensei asked worriedly, fixing his glasses, "And by the way, there's nothing here for you to trip on, it's pretty flat."

I crossed my arms across my chest and shot a glare at Konohamaru. "Konohamaru, ninja stars are not toys! You don't just go around trying to throw them at people, especially people like the Hokage!"

Of course, he ignored me and shot a glare at Naruto, getting up and standing in front of him, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Alright, you're the one who tripped me, aren't you?"

Naruto grabbed him by his scarf, looking like he was about to hit him. "You tripped over your own feet, dork!"

"Hey, you! Take your hands off of him right now!" Ebisu-sensei ordered, "He is the Honorable Grandson of the honorable Third Hokage and the younger brother of the honorable granddaughter!" He pointed at me and grandpa, and sighed, not really wanting to be dragged into this.

"What's the matter, huh? I thought you were gonna hit me, tough guy! Afraid 'cuz the Third Hokage is my grandfather?"

"I don't care if he's your grandmother!" Naruto shouted, hitting Konohamaru in the head. "So Believe it!"

Konohamaru fell face forward onto the ground again, and I sighed as Ebisu-sensei began to panic. I sighed, walking to the door. "I don't think I can take anymore of this. Bye, grandpa."

"Goodbye, Hikari."

"Oh, and Ebisu-sensei?"

"Yes, honorable granddaughter?"

"Be sure to lecture my little brother on the dangers of playing around with ninja stars. I better not hear from anyone about him pulling another stunt like that ever again." I stated, walking out and leaving the room.

* * *

Kari walked around the marketplace, a piece of paper in her hands. "Let's see…this weeks grocery list consists of 10 things. Um, we need more ramen, uh…Milk…flour, cereal, a tub of vanilla ice cream, apples, raspberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots." She figured that was it, until she saw an arrow that was directing her to the back of the paper at the bottom. She flipped it over and read it. "100 packages of chocolate chip cookies…Heh, not in a billion years, Konohamaru…" Kari mumbled, moving farther into the marketplace and grabbing each of the following items she needed, stopping to pay for things from each stand before moving off to the next one.

After buying all the groceries she needed, she headed home, depositing each item in the kitchen. It was about several hours later that Konohamaru came home, Kari gesturing him to follow her into the kitchen.

"I'd like to talk about what you tried to do today. Now, one of the very first things that you learn at the academy about weapons is what?"

Konohamaru stared down at the floor. "They're not toys, and should only be used accordingly when needed."

"That's right. Someone could've gotten hurt today when you tried to throw that ninja star. And thinking that you can become Hokage-"

"There's no easy way to becoming Hokage." Konohamaru interrupted, Kari stopping and staring at him in surprise. "It takes a lot of ninja training and pratice to obtain the title of Hokage. But just 'cuz there's a bunch of work ahead of me, that doesn't mean I'm gonna back down! Besides, I have to show boss that I can beat him!"

Kari stared at him for a minute before bending down in front of him and smiling, patting his head. "Well, you've grown up some in the past 4 hours. And I'm sure that you'll become Hokage one day. I believe in you, little brother."

Konohamaru grinned widely. "Thanks, sis!"

Kari grinned back, hoping that he would at least retain the knowledge and maturity.

* * *

**The next day~**

"Sis, wake up!"

"Ugh, no…go away, ya pest…"

"But don't you have to go to school today for something?"

School today for something…**CRAP!**

**"AHHHHH! ORIENTATION IS TODAY AND COMPLETELY FORGOT!"**

"Uh…"

I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him out into the hall. **"OOOOUUUUUT!"**

I quickly got dressed and brushed my hair and teeth, tying my headband onto my forehead quickly, running out of the house and to the academy. Thankfully, I still had time to get there, but things could happen along the way and I could be late somehow. Actually, I was in such a hurry to leave, I didn't even eat breakfast. I stopped along the way to buy an apple, but I had to wait a in a line for a few minutes. Finally, I bought my apple and ran to school, eating the apple along the way, throwing the core into some bushes before running inside the building and into the classroom.

Like usual, a whole bunch of girls were arguing over who should get to sit next to Sasuke, and poor Naruto, who must've already been there before all of them, was on the floor. I sighed and walked around them, taking the seat next to Sasuke and glancing over at the girls that were still clueless as to what was going on around them, their arguing beginning to get on my nerves. "Annoying pests…" I mumbled, letting my head fall onto the desk.

A loud thud caused me to lift my head back up, and I almost jumped when I saw Naruto crouching on top of the desk, getting right in Sasuke's face and glaring at him.

"Naruto! Hey, stop staring at Sasuke!" Sakura Haruno screamed, glaring daggers at Naruto like all the other girls were doing. I turned back to glance at the two boys, getting a bit freaked out when their glares intensified, like lighting hitting each other.

All those girls started scream, and I mentally groaned when I felt a headache coming on. I'm not really sure what exactly happened to cause the next event, but I think it had to do with the guy that was seated in front of Sasuke accidentally bumping into Naruto, which caused him to fall forward, and seeing as how he was all up in Sasuke's face…well, they kissed. And it made a lot of people mad. Sakura screamed as she watched before fainting, and I had to stifle my laughter as all the girls seemed to die a bit inside. I wasn't really sure who I pitied more: Sasuke, or Naruto. Probably Naruto because all the girls beat him up before Iruka-sensei came in.

"As of today, you're all ninja's. To get here, you faced difficult trials and hardships. But that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you're only Genin, first level ninjas. All the Genin will be grouped into three man squads, but since we have an odd number of students, one squad will have four people on it. Each squad will be led by a Jonin, an elite ninja."

"Joy…" I mumbled quietly.

"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities, so that's how we set them up. I will now announce the squads."

**Normal POV-**

"Squad 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hikari Sarutobi."

'_Great, I'm stuck with Uchiha and one of his fan girls! I don't even wanna imagine how annoying it could get…Ok, Kari, just chill out…Breath. If you just try and block Sakura out when she goes on and on about Sasuke, then all will be well!' _

"Next, Squad 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame. Squad 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. Those are all the squads."

Naruto immediately stood up and pointed a finger at Sasuke, nearly hitting Kari in the face. "Iruka-sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?"

'_Great, now Naruto is being an egotistical jerk…'_

"Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students." Iruka explained, putting his hands on his hips and frowning at Naruto. "Naruto, you had the worst scores. To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student."

"Just make sure you don't get in my way…Loser." Sasuke said quietly, the last part only fueling Naruto's anger.

"Hey, what'd you say?"

"Hard of hearing?"

"Knock it off, Naruto! Sit down!" Sakura ordered.

Kari was mentally crying inside. _'Of all the people here…why did I have to be grouped with these three? Sasuke's too quiet and he acts like a jerk, Sakura is bossy, and Naruto is…annoying. WHY?' _Kari whimpered, letting her head fall down onto the desk with a thud.

"After lunch, you'll meet your new Jonin teachers. Until then, classed dismissed."

'_Thank god! I'm not gonna stick around here. Those three pests might ask me to have lunch with them! Isn't being on the same team enough? Grrr, of all the people…' _

Glancing around once she was outside, she hopped up into a tree and up onto the rooftops, getting far away enough before stopping and sitting down, pulling out a rice ball from her bag, taking a bite from it and smiling. "Ah, peace and quiet with just me, a juice box, and a delicious rice ball! Could it get any better?"

Kari glanced over to the building across from her, noticing a little yellow and orange blob moving across the wall. She sighed when she realized it was Naruto moving towards an open window, which was open, revealing Sasuke sitting inside, eating his lunch. She gasped when she saw Naruto jump in and tackle Sasuke, the shutter of the window shutting, only sounds of slamming and thuds coming from the inside.

'_Great, and now Naruto is picking fights with one of our teammates…This won't be very fun if they're going to fight all the time, I mean, we're supposed to be a team…'_

The shutter opened and Sasuke climbed out, moving away. Kari sighed, figuring that going to see if Naruto was okay was probably the smart and nice thing to do. She jumped over to the roof and moved over to the window, hopping inside. She was surprised to see not Naruto tied, but Sasuke, his mouth covered by tape, struggling to get free. She sighed, kneeling down next to him and shaking his shoulder, gaining his attention. She pulled a Kunai out from the pouch strapped on her leg and put it to the ropes that had bound Sasuke's hands, cutting them with ease before moving to the ones wrapped around his legs, making quick work of them as well. She reached forward to grab the tape, only to stop and glance at Sasuke with a sympathetic look. "I'm gonna be honest with you: This might hurt really bad." He grunted, and she reached forward and ripped it off, expecting a scream, but it didn't even faze him. He clenched his jaw, rubbing his mouth with his hand. "Well, that went well." Kari stated, standing back up and putting the Kunai back in its pouch.

"Stupid Naruto…" Sasuke mumbled under his breath heading out of the room, Kari fuming at him.

"A simple thank you would suffice!" Kari shouted, running after him when he didn't reply.

"How did you know I was in there tied up?"

Kari sighed, giving up on ever getting him to thank her. "Well, I was sitting on the roof across from this one, and I saw Naruto jump in and tackle you. And when he crawled out as you, I really figured you gave him beating, and I figured that since we're all on the same team now, I should make sure he was okay, and instead of finding Naruto, I found you. You're welcome, by the way."

"Hn."

'_I give up…'_

The two walked back to the main building, Kari walking behind Sasuke, while he led the way. Kari mentally groaned, wondering how one person could be so…not talkative. In Kari's view, Sasuke was actually…boring. "Stupid jerk…"

"You say something?" Sasuke asked, Kari smirking at him as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

She walked past him. "Why, you hard of hearing?" He glared at her back as she used the words he had used on Naruto earlier.

"Sasuke, you're back! Don't be so shy you bad boy." Sakura exclaimed, Sasuke and Kari glancing at her.

Kari mentally face palmed. _'Why? Of all the people to put on my team, they just had to put her on it?' _Kari asked herself, continuing on until she reached the inside of the school, walking down a hall.

"Sasuke this, Sasuke that, Sasuke, Sasuke…I don't know if I can stand anymore about that stupid Uchiha." Kari grumbled, leaning her elbows on the railing and staring at the trees surrounding the school. The sound of a toilet flushing drew her attention to the bathrooms just in time to see Naruto run out. He didn't even acknowledge her presence as he ran past her, only to scream and stop when Sasuke was coming his way.

"Sasuke, what're you doing here? How did you get lose?"

Sasuke smirked as he explained. "I used the escape jutsu. No sweat, it's a very basic technique."

Naruto sweat dropped while Kari growled. _'LIES! LIES, LIES, LIES! He only escaped because of me! GRRR!'_

"Why'd you do that? Transform into me?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing at Naruto.

'"I thought it'd be fun to try out my moves on you, so I did!" Naruto explained, making several and signs, four more of him appearing.

"Shadow clones?" Kari mumbled, confused as to how Naruto had manage to perform a jutsu like that.

"Gah, the same technique again?" Sasuke asked, annoyed by the whole thing.

"This time you'll see what I can really do!"

"You're going down for the count!"

"Than you'll have to admit that I'm the best!"

"Get ready Sasuke!"

Just before anything could happen, Naruto and the clones fell out of the air and onto their feet, holding their stomachs, all of them complaining about something being back again before running off towards the bathroom. Kari moved to stand next to Sasuke, watching as the clones and the real Naruto all started to argue over he got to go first, Kari laughing slightly as she turned to walk away, Sasuke right behind her.

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**A/N: It was crappy, but I'm hoping that it will get better! So, leave a review please! LATER TATERS!**


	3. Pass or Fail:Survial test part 1!

**A/N: Makes me happy to know that at least a few people like it so far :D Yayz! So, this chapter took awhile to write, and I hope you guys enjoy it! Read on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters from Naruto, or the anime. I only own this story that I have written, and the OC, Hikari.**

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"He's late!"

"Naruto! Just sit down!"

"I don't want to! How come our teacher is the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll. Believe it! The other groups already met their new teachers and took off on some adventure or something, and Iruka-sensei's gone too!"

"We know, okay?"

"The more impatient you get, the more bored you get." Kari stated as she stared up at the ceiling of the classroom, sprawled out on one of the desks. The sound of a loud thud caused her attention to drift over to the door, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "Naruto!"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura asked the blonde as he stood up on the chair and wedged the chalkboard eraser in between the top of the door and the wall. Sakura walked over to him and put her hands to her hips. "Naruto!"

"That's what he gets for coming late. Surprise!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping down from the chair.

"You're asking for trouble. You know you shouldn't do that." Sakura stated, frowning at the blonde.

"Hn. Our teacher's a Jonin, an elite ninja. You think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke asked, his eyes closed.

"Yeah, Sasuke's right. You're so clueless, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed.

Just then, a hand grabbed the side of the door, and pushed it open, sticking his head inside, the eraser falling right on top of his head, chalk from the eraser flying off of it, the eraser landing on the floor with a small thud. Everyone was silent, until Naruto pointed at the silver haired man an began to laugh.

"I got him! He totally fell for it!"

Sakura's face reddened from embarrassment, and Kari shook her head. "How embarrassing…"

"I'm sorry, sensei! I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen! I would never do anything like that." Sakura said quickly, her cheeks still pink.

'_A__gain, I will ask: Why did I have to be grouped with these three?' _Kari mentally sighed, shaking her head, wishing to just go lie in a hole and die.

The man bent down and picked up the eraser, staring at it for a minute before actually speaking. "Hmm…how can I put this? My first impression of this group…" He began, the four staring at curiously, "…You're a bunch of idiots."

All four of their faces fell as they were insulted by the man, Kari crying inside. _'Someone kill me now…'_

_**Pass or Fail: Survival Test-Part1!**_

The group traveled outside, the four Genin sitting on the steps while their new sensei leaned against the railing, his arms crossed across his chest. "Alright, why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time."

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura repeated. "Well, what are we supposed to say?"

"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies. Things like that."

"Why don't you tell us stuff first, I mean before we talk, tell us stuff about you so we can see how it's supposed to work." Naruto said, everyone then looking up at their sensei expectantly.

He pointed at himself. "Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like, things I hate…I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future…Never really thought about it. As for my hobbies…I have lots of hobbies."

"That was totally useless. All he really told us was his name." Sakura mumbled in annoyance, Naruto nodding with her in agreement.

"Ok, your turn. You on the right- You first."

Naruto smiled, playing around with his headband. "Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiraku Noodle shop. But I hate the 3 minutes you have to wait after you poor the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody in important."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment in thought before moving on to the next person. "Alright, next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno! What I like, uh…I mean the person I like is…Uh, hobby is, uh…My dream for the future is…" Sakura couldn't even explain to them anything about herself because she was laughing in between every sentence.

"And? What do you hate?"

"Naruto!"

"AHHHH!"

"Alright, next: You in the purple."

Kari looked up at him and smiled. "I'm Hikari Sarutobi, call me Kari for short if you want. I like music a lot, and nature. My hobbies are training, playing piano and other instruments, and that's pretty much it for that. My dream for the future…well, I don't have one just yet. And as for what I hate…I hate people who think that they're better than everyone else."

Kakashi nodded. "Last one."

"My name…is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone."

Everyone was silent as soon as he finished, all of them staring at Sasuke.

'_Gee, uh, I hope he doesn't mean me…' _Naruto thought, the panic clear on his face.

'_Sasuke is so hot….' _Was all Sakura could think.

'_He sure is kinda scary when he talks like that…' _Kari thought, laughing nervously.

"Good. You're each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Kakashi explained, gaining Naruto's attention.

"What kind of mission are we going to have?"

"It's a task that the four of us will do together."

"What, what, what, what?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"A survival exercise."

"Huh? Survival exercise?"

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice. We already did this stuff at the academy. That's how we got here." Sakura explained, frowning as she did.

"This is not like your previous training." Kakashi simply stated.

"So, uh, what kind of training is it then?"

Kakashi began to laugh, creeping Kari out while only frustrating Sakura. "Hey, hold on. That's a normal question. What's so funny?"

"Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it."

"Huh?"

"Of the 28 graduates that came here, only ten will actually be excepted as Genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it pass/fail test and the chance that you fail is at least 66%." The four made faces of shock and anger. "See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

"That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it, what was that graduation test for anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, that. That was just to select candidates who might become Genin, or not."

"WHAT?"

"That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5 AM. And bring your ninja gear."

'_5 AM! That means I have to wake up at like, 4...EVEN I DON'T WAKE UP THAT EARLY!' _Kari mentally screamed. _'Why do I get the strange feeling that this guy is going to torture us? I don't want to fail this though…I've worked hard to get here, and I'm not about to be sent back to the academy! But…if I fail, then I won't have to be stuck with these idiots…No, I shouldn't think like that! I'll do whatever it takes to pass, even if it means having to work with these guys! I mean, not like it'll get any worse, right?' _

"That's it. You're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow you better skip breakfast or else…you'll puke."

'_And it just got worse…'_

**

* * *

**

**The next morning~**

"No one should ever have to wake up this early. I mean, the sun isn't even up yet, it's still dark!" Kari grumbled to herself as she walked down the pathway sleepily, messenger bag slung across her shoulder, full of all her ninja gear. As she got closer to the designated spot, she saw Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto already there, waiting patiently.

Sakura yawned, waving slightly. "Morning…"

Kari sleepily waved back, her eyes drooping closed slightly before she shook hear head. She took a seat down on the ground next to Naruto, who was drifting slightly. She pulled out a watch from her backpack and frowned at it before looking around. "It's already five on the dot, and Kakashi-sensei isn't here." She said, annoyed by the fact that she had to wake up so early. She yawned sleepily again, laying down on her back and staring up at the sky. Eventually, the sun came up, and they were still waiting. Sakura got tired of standing and eventually sat down with Naruto and Kari, who had actually fallen asleep again. Finally, when the sun had gotten higher in the sky, Kakashi walked over.

"Morning everyone. Ready for your first day?"

"Hey, you're late!" Sakura and Naruto exclaimed at the same time, glaring at Kakashi, their yelling waking Kari up. When she saw that their sensei had finally arrived, she glared at him as well.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi explained, smiling and pointing to the direction he came from. "Well, let's get started." Kakashi said, pulling out an alarm clock and setting it down on a post. "Here we go. It's set for noon." He explained before pulling out three bells from his pocket. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch."

"AH!" Naruto screamed, dreading the very idea.

"You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

'_That's why he told us not to eat any breakfast. He's trying to make it harder on us.'_ Kari thought, her stomach growling slightly, causing her to hug it.

"Wait a minute, there's four of us. How come there's only three bells?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi smiled at her observation. "Well, that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately be disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy. Then again, all four of you could flunk out, too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

"Those weapons are too dangerous, sensei!" Sakura exclaimed worriedly.

Naruto laughed. "Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser."

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores. Losers." Kakashi said, earning a growl and glare from Naruto. "When I say start, you can begin." Before he could manage to even say go, Naruto pulled out a Kunai and ran at Kakashi, only to miss him because he had managed to move out of the way and behind him, grabbing his hand with the Kunai in it and pointing it at his own head, Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura all staring in shock.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say start yet." Kakashi stated, keeping his grip on Naruto as the boy struggled to get out of his grasp. Everyone backed away some as Kakashi did let him go, all of them still shocked that someone could even move that fast. "But you came at me with the full intention of destroying me, so…How can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys. Get ready…and…START!"

The four immediately took off, heading off for hiding spots.

**Several minutes later~**

All of them had hidden themselves well, Sakura hiding in the bushes, Sasuke and Kari in the trees, and as for Naruto…Well, Kari was beginning to wonder if he knew what it meant to conceal yourself from enemy eyes as she stared at him from her hiding spot in the trees, frowning as Naruto stood in front of Kakashi.

"You and me, right now, fair and square! Let's go!"

"What a stupid thing to do…" Kari mumbled quietly.

"Fool…" Sasuke mumbled from his spot next to Kari.

"You know, compared to the others, you're a little bit…weird." Kakashi stated.

"Oh yeah? The only thing weird here is your haircut!" Naruto exclaimed, running at Kakashi, stopping when the man reached into his pouch. He pulled out a book and flipped it open to a page. Kari couldn't really hear what they were saying, except that Naruto had exclaimed that he would crush him. He went at him, ready to punch him, only to have his attack blocked. He ended up behind Naruto, making a hand sign.

Kari's eyes narrowed slightly. "This looks like it's about to get ugly…"

"Naruto, get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!" Sakura exclaimed from her spot in the bushes. Naruto glanced over at her.

"Too late." Kakashi said, causing Naruto to glance back at him. "Leaf Village secret finger jutsu!"

Kari made a sound of disgust as she watched the whole thing, but almost falling out of the tree from laughter as she saw Kakashi throw Naruto up into the air, launching him into the river. Two ninja stars came flying out from the water and at Kakashi, who easily caught them with two fingers. Several minutes later, Naruto crawled out from the water and back onto land.

"What're you doing now? You know you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon."

"I know, I know, you told us that already!"

"You look pretty wobbly for someone who is going to surpass the Hokage."

"You told us not to eat breakfast! How can I fight when I'm starving to death?" Naruto asked angrily.

The sound of a stomach growling caused Kari to look to her left, giggling slightly when she realized that it was Sasuke's. His cheeks turned red slightly as he shot her a glare, smirking when her own stomach let out a loud growl of its own. She hugged it and put a finger to her mouth. "Shut-up stomach!"

Out of the water, 7 more Naruto's jumped out, all of them Shadow Clones, all of them lunging at Kakashi, and one getting behind him and grabbing him. Just as one of the clones was about throw the punch, which he did, he didn't hit Kakashi, but himself instead.

"Did…Naruto just punch himself?" Kari asked, sweat dropping as she watched the whole ordeal go down, stifling her laughter as they all started to fight. Finally, he undid the jutsu, all of the clones disappearing, leaving a beaten up Naruto.

'_How Naruto couldn't even tell that sensei used a replacement jutsu is beyond me, but being able to get away that fast only proves that this guy is the real deal. And Naruto just proved my theory that not just one person is able to take him down, let alone a couple of clones. Hm…this looks like it'll be harder than I thought…' _Kari frowned as she thought this, her frown disappearing with an expression of surprise when she heard Naruto say something about a bell being on the ground. She shook her head as he ran over to it. "3, 2, 1..." Kari counted down the seconds it took Naruto to grab it, only to stop where he was and be pulled up by the trap, hanging upside down. "Well, that was pretty stupid of him since it was pretty obvious…"

"That Jonin doesn't let down his guard. Even when he's fighting a fool like Naruto." Sasuke stated quietly, Kari nodding with him in agreement. Kakashi walked out from where he was hiding and picked up the bell and sighed, his back facing the tree that Kari and Sasuke were in.

Before Kari could realize what was going, Kakashi was nailed in the side by a bunch of shuriken and kunai. Naruto screamed. "Are you out of your mind, Sasuke? You went too far!"

Kari sighed, shaking her head while a smirk made its way onto her face. "You idiot, do you think that he would really let his guard down that easily?"

Sasuke glared at her. "What're you talking about?"

Kari pointed out to the opening, and they both looked just in time to see that it was a log that had gotten hit with the weapons instead. "Substitution jutsu. And thanks to you falling for it, we both have to find a different hiding spot!" Kari exclaimed angrily, glaring at him before jumping off and away to a different spot. When she saw Sasuke moving to a different spot, she also saw Sakura going after him, both of them creating enough noise to gain someones attention. After sitting in another tree, figuring everyone had managed to find a new spot safely, until she heard Sakura scream.

"She fell for another trick of his. Jeez, this guy is just full of 'em. But…this guy is more of a challenge than I took him for. I better go look for them, but first, I think I'll have a chat with Naruto." She jumped down from her spot and ran over to the blonde. "Hey, looks like you could use a hand. All that blood going to your head might make you crazy."

"Shut-up! I don't need your help at all!" Naruto exclaimed, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring at her.

Kari sighed. "Well, too bad, because I'm helping you anyway." She cut him down and he fell face first. Kari began to walk off, leaving Naruto yelling at her back as she leaped up into the trees. She moved from tree to tree, stopping when she spotted the sensei and Sasuke in a clearing, Kakashi still holding his book open. Sasuke threw several Kunai at Kakashi, who easily dodged them, only to almost get hit with the trap Sasuke had probably set up for him. Sasuke made the move to kick him, only to have his ankle grabbed. Sasuke resorted into punching him, only to get his hand caught. He went in for another kick, and Kakashi stopped him from hitting him at all. Kari was amazed when he managed to touch one of the bells, only he didn't get to grab one because Kakashi moved out of the way before he could.

"Well, you are different from the other two, I'll grant you that, though I have yet to see what the other one can do.

Sasuke grunted and performed several hand signs, Kari's eyes widening as she watched from the trees. "A fire style jutsu?"

"What? Genin can't do fire jutsu! Takes too much chakra! There's no way!" Kakashi exclaimed.

Sasuke shot a giant fire ball from his mouth, hitting the place where Kakashi had been standing. When the smoke cleared, he was gone. Kari watched as Sasuke looked all around him, realizing that Kakashi was not behind him or above him. _'Under him…' _

A hand shot out from the ground and grabbed Sasuke's leg. "I'm where you least expect me." Kakashi said, pulling Sasuke into the ground, Kari wincing at how painful it probably was. Sasuke's head was the only thing that remained above ground, his face holding a scowl. Kakashi pulled out his book again and walked away, Kari making sure he was really gone for good before jumping out from her spot in the trees and walking over to Sasuke.

"That fire jutsu you did…it was pretty cool." Kari complimented, "What was un-cool about it was that it served as a good get away. With those flames all bright and large like that, it made it harder to watch the opponent, which is why you're head is down in the ground." Kari said, walking around him, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Hmm…only thing to do now is figure out a way to get you out."

Sasuke sent a scowl at her. "If you were watching the entire time, why didn't you bother to do anything?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Because…I was being smart not to help you, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here trying to figure out a way to help you out of this mess."

The rustling of leaves, caught their attention, Kari pulling out a kunai from her pouch and readying it, only to put it down to her side when she saw that it was only Sakura. Said girl stopped in her tracks, doing a double take on what she was seeing. Sasuke's head and Kari holding a Kunai…

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked when the girl didn't even say anything.

Sakura screamed. "AHHH! KARI CUT OF SASUKE'S HEAD AND NOW SASUKE'S JUST A HEAD WITHOUT A BODY AND HE'S TALKING!" With that said, she fainted, Kari sweat dropping.

"Wow…"

"And that's our partner…" Sasuke added in.

"Yeah. Ok, now on the count of three, I'm going to pull and I want you to try and get out, ok? Alright, ready? 1, 2, 3...pull!" Kari exclaimed, pulling on Sasuke's head. It wasn't really working, so Kari gave up on that plan and sighed. "I was planning on saving my chakra, but I guess that I have no choice."

"What are you going to do?"

"Relax, I'm not gonna kill you or anything. Just sit tight and don't freak, 'kay?" Kari said, grinning at him before her face became serious. She performed several hand signs. "Earth Style: Uproot Tree Bind Jutsu!"

Sasuke was grabbed by something underground and pushed up and out from the ground, tree roots wrapped around him. The roots dropped him onto his feet and went back down into the ground, Sasuke sending a shocked glance at Kari. She grinned at him. "You're welcome, Uchiha." She moved over to Sakura and knelt down next to the pink haired girl. "Hey, wake up! SAKURA!" Kari yelled, shaking the girl until her eyes opened up.

The first think Sakura said was this. "Sasuke?" She mumbled before sitting up and latching herself onto Sasuke, who struggled to get her off of him. Kari sighed as she watched, standing up and beginning to walk away.

"Well, you two can sit on your butts all day, but I'm going to get a bell. Besides, Kakashi-sensei has yet to go up against me." Sasuke finally pushed Sakura off of him and stood up.

"I've got to get a bell before lunch. That doesn't leave much time." He began to walk after Kari, only to stop when Sakura called them both.

"Sasuke, Kari, you two are still trying to get one of those bells?"

"Awhile ago, I touched one. Next time, I'll get one."

Sakura laughed nervously. "That is really great. I can't believe you did that, you're amazing!" Sakura said, smiling for a minute. "Uh, it's almost lunch. There's really not enough time left, so…Maybe we should just give up, and then try again next year!"

Both Sasuke and Kari sent her dangerous looks, Sasuke turning his back on her while Kari moved over to Sakura. "Listen, if all you want to do is give up right now, then go ahead, be our guest, that's fine! It won't matter if you leave, since we still have Naruto. So, if you wanna give up, fine. But if you're gonna give up, then don't call yourself a Kunoichi, because you don't deserve the right to call yourself that. Quitters like you don't deserve such a title like that." Kari said angrily, surprising Sakura and Sasuke both. She didn't bother to stick around with them, so she began to walk away, the bell ringing halfway when she was trying to get back the spot they had been at earlier.

She walked over to the posts, noticing that Naruto had been tied up. She glared at the three box lunches in front of her, her stomach growling loudly. Several minutes later, Sasuke walked out from the trees and plopped down next her, Sakura coming out after him, sitting on Naruto's other side. All four of their stomachs growling. Kakashi stared down at them all.

"Uh-oh, stomachs growling, huh? That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this exercise…well, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy."

"What? I passed?" Sakura asked. "All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?"

Kari smiled slightly, Naruto and Sakura both celebrating happily. "Then that means all four of us-"

"Yes. All four of you-" Kakashi began, his smile on his face not once disappearing. "-are being dropped from the program…permanently."

"Huh!"

"Gr.."

"Wah!"

Kari looked up to the sky, "Then the clouds opened up and God said 'I hate you, Hikari!'"

"**DROP US FROM THE PROGRAM?** That means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells, we'd be sent back to the academy. **YOU CAN'T JUST CHANGE YOUR MIND AND KICK US OUT! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"**

"Because you don't think like ninja, you think like little kids…like brats." Sasuke growled angrily and shot up and ran straight at Kakashi, only to have the tables turned on him and pushed face first into the ground, Kakashi sitting on top of him. "You think it's all about you?"

"**LET GO OF SASUKE! YOU CAN'T STEP ON HIM LIKE HE'S SOME BUG!"** Sakura exclaimed, anger clear on her face.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think it's a game, huh?" Kakashi asked, the words directed to Sakura. "Why do you think we put you in squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?"

"I…I don't know what you mean." Sakura said.

"Of course…it was so obvious right from the beginning." Kari said, standing up and frowning. "And I was so stupid to not even realize it."

Sakura looked at her. "W-what is it then?"

"Use your head. Three people on a squad, or in this case, four. Why do you think we did that?" Kakashi asked

"Gah! How're we supposed to know why you picked four people, we didn't make the rules!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You guys should learn to use your heads more. It's obvious. Teamwork." Kari said.

"Just working together, is that what you mean?" Sakura asked.

"That's what I mean. It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me, you might have been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over."

"Wait a minute, you set it up with four people, but only three bells. If we worked together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them and that would lead to group conflict and the-"

"Squad would break up." Kari finished for her, narrowing her eyes at their sensei. "You purposely pitted us against each other."

"That's right. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but you…it never even crossed your mind. Sakura!"

"Huh?"

"You obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't even lift a finger to help him. Naruto, you do everything on your own…everything. Sasuke, you thought that the others were so far beneath you, they were worthless. Hikari…" Kakashi began, stopping to glance at her.

"Yes?"

"You were the only one who actually showed some teamwork."

Everyone gasped, and Kari frowned. "I…did? But… I didn't even do anything at all. I didn't even help my teammates out…"

"That's where you're partially wrong. When Sakura left after Sasuke, and I walked away, you came out from your hiding spot and cut down Naruto from the tree, even when he refused your help, you still cut him down. And when I walked away after sticking Sasuke in the ground, you managed to pull him out. I was actually considering passing you when you helped Naruto, but when you stayed put while watching me fight with Sasuke, that changed my mind. You had the opportunity to help him get the bells when you showed up, but you held back and stayed put. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure and death." Kakashi said, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a kunai.

"For example: Sakura-" Kakashi began putting the Kunai to Sasuke's throat. "Kill Naruto and Hikari now, or Sasuke dies."

Sakura gasped while Naruto panicked, looking back and forth between the sensei and Sakura. "What a cruel example…" Kari mumbled.

"That's what happens on a mission. The enemy takes a hostage and you have an impossible choice. And someone ends up dead." Kakashi said, spinning the kunai around on his finger before pocketing it and getting up off of Sasuke. "On every mission your life is on the line." Kakashi explained, walking over to the stone and stopping in front of it. "Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it? They're all ninja who are honored as heroes in our village."

Kari looked down at the ground, her hair falling into her eyes, while Naruto began to talk. "That's it, that's it! Now I know! I've decided that I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone. I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog. I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!"

"They're a special kind of hero." Kakashi stated.

"Huh? What kind of heroes are they? Come on, tell us!" When Kakashi remained silent, Naruto grew more impatient. "Well, well?"

"They're all K.I.A."

"Ooh…That sounds real cool!"

Sakura opened her mouth to explain what it meant, but Kari beat her to it. "It's not cool, you idiot."

"Huh?" Naruto mumbled, everyone looking over at her.

"It means they were killed in action. They all died." Kari mumbled, her eyes shadowed by her eyes shadowed by her hair.

"This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here." Kakashi explained, "And the Hokage's son and daughter-in-law's names are engraved on this stone as well." Kakashi added in, glancing over his shoulder at Kari, who looked up and over at the stone sadly. "I'm giving you four another chance. But I'm going to make it much more harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But…Naruto doesn't get any. It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail."

"Gah!"

"Hn."

"I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei…"

**

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**

**A/N: heh, I know that I made it a bit long, but I couldn't help it! Also, the Uproot Tree Bind Jutsu is one I made up for Kari. Next chapter will be a continuation of this one. Leave a review, please!**


	4. Dangerous Mission to the land of waves!

**A/N: I think that this is the one story where I never really have much to say in author notes…Guess it's because I don't have anything really important to say for this story yet =) Well, the first part of this chapter is a continuation of the last one, and then the next part is just basically the next episode, so yeah. Please enjoy, and leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for this story and the OC, Hikari Sarutobi.**

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Kari smiled happily as she plopped a piece of food in her mouth, her stomach growling in appreciation. She grabbed another piece with her chopsticks and plopped it in her mouth, sighing happily as soon as she had swallowed it. The sound of Naruto's stomach growling drew her attention to him, the same for Sasuke and Sakura, all three of them staring at their teammate that was tied up to the tree.

"This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days, for weeks! Believe it, this is no big deal!" Naruto assured, his stomach only growling louder.

"Your stomach doesn't seem to agree with you on that." Kari said, Naruto sighing sadly.

"No problem…"

Kari frowned at him before glancing at her own half eaten food before glancing back at Naruto. _'If we're a team, then how come we should let one of our own teammates suffer from hunger while the rest of us pig out in front of him?' _She finally smiled, reaching her food out to Naruto. "Here."

Her three teammates stared at her in disbelief, Sakura the first one to open her mouth. "What? No, Kari you can't do that!" She glanced around quickly before she continued. "You heard what the sensei said!"

"Oh, I heard what he said, but you know what? I don't really care."

"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission." Sasuke added in.

"And the sensei said that we needed to have teamwork if we wanted to pass this test. And having one of your teammates starving is just wrong, especially when the rest of us are eating right in front of him." Kari said, a thoughtful frown on her face. "And in order to pass this thing, we have to have all our strength in order to work together."

Sakura looked down at her own food with a frown, gulping loudly before holding her own food out to Naruto. "Here."

Naruto looked at her in disbelief, while Kari smiled at her, Sakura giving a small smile to Naruto. "Ok, thanks." Naruto thanked.

"Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat."

"But isn't that your lunch?"

"I-I'm on a diet, I mean, I don't eat as much as Sasuke or Kari."

"HEY!" Kari exclaimed, glaring angrily.

"So…JUST TAKE IT NARUTO!" Sakura ordered.

"I can't take it, because…I can't move my hands, you've gotta feed me."

"HUH?"

"Hurry up. He could come back any minute." Sasuke said, glancing around them and watching.

"Grrr, this is one time only! That's it, I'll never do this again, is that clear?" Sakura asked angrily, picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks, Naruto grinning at her.

"Clear as a bell, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, opening his mouth and allowing Sakura to plop a piece of food in his mouth, chewing it quickly and swallowing it happily.

And just as soon as he had swallowed it, a giant cloud of smoke appeared in front of them, the wind blowing dirt at their faces and causing them to cover them. Kakashi flew out from the cloud of smoke, an angry look on his face. "You!" Naruto and Sakura screamed, Kari remained silent, and Sasuke grunted angrily as Kakashi stopped in front of them. "You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for the punishment." He performed several hand signs, and thunder sounded, the sun disappearing behind dark clouds, lightning flashing inside of them. The ground began to shake underneath their feet, and Kari nearly fell on her behind, shooting a glare at their sensei. "Any last words?"

Sakura and Naruto both shook with fear, Naruto's voice shaky sounding as he began to speak. "B-but y-you s-said…"

"Yes?"

"You said that there were four of us! That's what you said, and that's why…Sakura, Kari, and…"

Sasuke glanced over at him. "We're all on this squad and we're all in it together."

Sakura stood up. "Yeah, that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one."

"And you said in order to pass this stupid test of yours, we had to work together! **HOW CAN WE DO THAT WHEN WE HAVE A STARVING TEAMMATE JUST SITTING HERE, WHILE WE SIT IN FRONT OF HIM STUFFING OUR FACES?"** Kari exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Believe it, that's right!"

Kakashi moved forward. "The four of you are one? That's your excuse?"

Kari sent him a glare. "It's not an excuse, it's a fact that's 100% true." Kari stated, getting in a stance with Sasuke and Sakura, all four of them glaring at their sensei.

Kakashi smiled. "Hm…you pass."

"Huh?"

"Huuuh?"

"You pass." Kakashi repeated, slower this time.

"What do you mean? How'd we pass?" Sakura asked, confused and lost by the whole thing.

The clouds disappeared and the sun came back. "You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but…those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

"Ah!" Sakura said happily, a grin on her face.

Naruto looked near tears, and Sasuke smirked. Eventually, the tears began to almost fall. "He's, uh…Y'know…He's kinda cool."

"The exercise is over. Everyone passes. Squad 7 starts its first mission tomorrow!"

"Yes!" Sakura exclaimed and Kari both exclaimed.

"I did it, I did it, believe it, I'm a ninja, a ninja, a ninja!"

Kakashi turned around, glancing at them over his shoulder. "Let's go home."

Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura followed after him, Naruto still tied up to the post, struggling to get free and follow after them before kicking around and glaring at their backs angrily. "I knew they would do this, it happens every time, believe it! **YOU GUY'S FORGOT TO UNTIE ME!**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Several weeks later…**_

"_**Sasuke, I'm at point B."**_

"_**Sakura, I'm at point C."**_

"_**Kari, I'm at point D."**_

"_**Naruto, I'm at point A, believe it." **_

"_**Too slow, Naruto. Ok, squad 7...Huh? THE TARGET HAS MOVED! FOLLOW IT!" **_

Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura peeked out from behind the trees they were hiding behind, Naruto up in the tree. He pointed over to some bushes. "Over there." Quickly, they all moved to stand behind several more trees.

"_**What's your distance from the target?" Kakashi asked over the radio.**_

"Five meters. I'm ready, just give the signal." Naruto said.

"I'm ready too." Sasuke said.

"Same here." Kari said.

"So am I!" Sakura stated.

"Ok…" Kakashi mumbled, staying quiet for several seconds. "NOW!"

All four Genin took off for the bushes, lunging at the target, Naruto letting out a yell as he grabbed the cat. "I got him, I got him."

The cat screeched as Naruto held it, trying to scratch at Naruto's face as he fell on his back, screaming as the cat managed to land a few hits, Naruto releasing it and trying to protect himself, Sakura laughing at him while Sasuke confirmed the I.D to Kakashi over the radio. Kari walked over to Naruto and pulled the cat off of him, the cat going calm in her arms, Kari giggling as it nuzzled her face, Naruto yelling at Kakashi over the radio.

"**CAN'T WE GET A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS? I HATE CATS!"**

_**A Dangerous Mission: Journey to the Land of Waves!**_

"Oh, my poor little Tora! Mommy was so worried about her naughty little fuzzy kitty! Yes!" Tora's owner exclaimed, squeezing him to death as she hugged him.

Naruto laughed at the scene before him. "Stupid cat! That kitty deserves to be squashed."

"No wonder he wanted to run away…" Sakura pointed out, Kari nodding with her in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean look at him, he's practically being strangled to death. I'd want to run away too if I were a cat and my owner did that."

"Now then…" The third began, reading a piece of paper he held in his hand. "For Squad 7's next mission, we have several available tasks…Huh? Among them babysitting the chief counselors three year old, helping his wife to do the shopping, taking up potatoes-"

"**NO!" **Naruto exclaimed, the Hokage stopping to look at him. "I want to go on a real mission! Something challenging and exciting, not this little kid stuff! C'mon, old man!"

"**NARUTO, DON'T BE DISRESPECTFUL TO THE HOKAGE!" **Kari exclaimed, bopping him on the head, a bump forming under his hands as he rubbed the place she hit him.

Iruka shot up form his seat, slamming his hands on the table. "How dare you! You're just a brand new Genin with no experience! Like everyone else, you start with simple missions to develop your skills and prove yourself!"

"Are you serious! Babysitting is not a mission, it's just a stupid-OOWW!" He never got the chance to finish because Kakashi whacked him the head, another bump forming on his head.

"Will you put a lid on it?"

"Naruto, it seems you do not understand the tasks you have been given." The Hokage said, going on into the explanation of the ranks of missions and how they worked, Naruto ignoring him and puffing his cheeks out like a child, the Hokage laughing at it. "Since you're so determined, I'm going to give you a C ranked mission. You'll be body guards on a journey."

"Really?" Naruto asked, the Hokage nodding. "YES! Who? Who? Are we guarding a princess or some bigwig counselor?"

"Don't be so impatient. I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor!" The Hokage ordered, everyone glancing over at the door. A somewhat old man opened the door, frowning at Team 7 when he saw them.

"What the-a bunch snot nosed kids?" He put a bottle to his mouth and took a nice long sip of whatever was in it, leaning against the wall and staring at them. "And you, the little one with the idiotic look on your face, you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto simply laughed. "Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his-" He stopped, and the other simply looked at him before moving to stand closer to him, Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura all taller than him by a couple of inches. When Naruto realized this, he got mad and made the move to run at the man, Kakashi grabbing him by the back of his shirt and holding him back. "I'll demolish you! Let me get my hands on him!"

"You can't demolish the client, Naruto, it doesn't work that way." Kakashi said calmly as the blonde tried to squirm out of his hold.

The man took one more sip before sighing and looking that group. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

'_Why do I feel like this won't go well? But I can't help but feel a little excited about it, I mean I've never even been outside of the village, let alone, ever allowed to go outside of it. I just hope nothing goes wrong.'_

* * *

As they walked out of the village, Naruto stopped and turned around to face the others, throwing his hands in the air. "Yeah! Alright!"

"What're you getting so excited about, Naruto?" Sakura asked in annoyance.

Naruto did a quick glance around. "This is the first time I ever left the village. I'm a traveler now, believe it!"

Kari sighed, and Tazuna pointed a finger at Naruto. "Hey, am I supposed to trust my life to this runt? He's a joke!"

Naruto stopped laughing, and Kakashi chuckled. "He's with me and I'm a Jonin, so you don't need to worry."

Naruto whipped around and pointed at Tazuna angrily. "Hey, never insult a ninja! It's a big mistake, and I'm one of the greatest ninja ever! Someday I'm gonna be a Hokage and you'll look up to me! My name's Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it!"

Kari sweat dropped. "Great, it's like traveling with another Konohamaru…"

"Hokage are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly."

"AH! Shut-up! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage, no matter what it takes! And when I do, everyone will have to admit that I'm the top ninja, including you!" Naruto exclaimed angrily.

"Heh. You can become Hokage 10 times over and to me you'll still be nobody. A loser."

Naruto snapped and tried to attack Tazuna again, Kakashi holding him back once more. "I told you, you're supposed to protect the client, not attack him."

**2 hours later~**

It was nice and peaceful as we walked, just the sound of the wind blowing around the leaves of the trees, and birds chirping. I hummed a small little tune quietly as we walked, taking in all the scenery around me. We walked over a small little bridge and continued on, but that's when I got this bad feeling. I stopped humming and glanced around, hoping that it was just my imagination. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a puddle on the ground, and I tensed up, my anxiety growing.

"Hikari?" Kakashi-sensei asked, catching my attention. "What's the matter?"

I frowned, shaking my head. "Sensei, that puddle back there…It's-" I didn't get the chance to finish because someone came up behind us and caused us to all turn around, this weird chain thing being shot at Kakashi-sensei. It wrapped around him, courtesy of two ninja's that looked extremely scary. The next thing I know, they pull the chains away and slice our sensei in half!

Sakura let a cry, and Naruto gasped. "K-Kakashi-sensei!" The ninja popped up behind him and laughed.

"Now it's your turn." One of them said, both of them getting ready to do the same thing they did to sensei to Naruto!

I was prepared to throw some kunai and shuriken at them, but Uchiha beat me to it, jumping into the air and throwing them at the chains, the shuriken sending them into a tree, Sasuke throwing a kunai to make sure that they stayed that way. The two ninja tried to get their arms free, but they couldn't and Sasuke landed on both of their freaky arms, landing a kick to both of their faces. That was actually probably not smart, because their chains broke off and they came back, one running to Naruto, while the other ran to me, Sakura, and Tazuna.

Sakura seemed to freeze up, the look of fear and worry in her eyes. I grabbed her and put her in front of the bridge builder before I stood in front of both of them, Kunai readied. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as that ninja continued coming right at us, his hand ready to kill me as it reached out. I simply narrowed my gaze at him as he didn't stop, preparing myself to hit him, but suddenly, he was no longer in my sight. Actually, nothing was in my sight anymore, except for the color blue and the Uchiha clan symbol, my eyes widening when I realized that Sasuke had jumped in front of me, his arms spread out, prepared to take the hit.

That didn't happen, because our attacker was grabbed and pulled back. I glanced over Sasuke's shoulder to see sensei, fine and alive, his arm wrapped around both ninjas necks

"Hi." Kakashi-sensei greeted.

I sighed in relief when I realized that he was alive, and Sakura smiled happily. Sensei walked over, both ninjas under each arm. "Good job, Sasuke. Very smooth. You too, Hikari and Sakura."

"Thanks, sensei." I grinned at him.

"Hey." Sasuke said, and I turned around to see him talking to Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"You're not hurt, are ya? Scaredy cat." Sasuke said with a smirk on his face.

I frowned at him. _'Still a mean and cold jerk. And to think that I was going to change my opinion on him. Hmph…'_

Naruto growled at Sasuke. "SASUKE!" He looked like he was about to run at him, but sensei stopped him.

"Stand still. These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to take it out of you quickly." Poison? Man, these guys are really bad!

"Hikari, do you have that rope I told you to bring?" Sensei asked me.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" I opened my messenger bag and pulled it out. "Right here!" I exclaimed, handing it to him. He tied the two ninja up and sat them against a tree.

Once he was done, he stepped back and began his explanation about these freaks that attacked us. "They're Chunin from the Village hidden in the mist. Their specialty is relentless attack. They keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice."

"How did you know about our ambush?" One of them asked.

"A puddle on a clear day when it hasn't rained in weeks. I was only suspicious about it at first, until one of my students noticed it as well, confirming that there was something wrong about it."

"In that case, why did you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna asked sensei.

"I could've taken them out quickly, but then I'd have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was…And what they were after."

Turns out that the bridge builder had lied about this whole mission. Since ninja are after him, this mission is beyond our level of training. It was more of a B ranked mission because of that, and that means the village isn't even getting paid the right amount of money since this mission was requested as a C rank mission. All in all, it was far to advanced for us. Plus, there was Naruto's hand to think about….

"We should go back to the village. We need to treat Naruto's wound as soon as possible so we can get rid of the poison. We have doctors back in the village that can do that." Sakura said, her eyes holding a worried look.

"Naruto's hand could become a problem…" Sensei said, looking thoughtful before sighing. "I guess we should go back to the village."

I glanced over at Naruto, only to see him pull a kunai out and stab his hand that was injured with it, more blood gushing out. My eyes widened at the scene, mentally wincing at how painful that looked. But poor Naruto…he took the pain and turned his back to us. "Why am I so different? Why am I always…ARGH!"

Sakura ran forward. "Naruto, stop that! What're you doing?"

"I worked so hard to get here! Pushing myself until it hurt, training alone for hours, anything to get stronger…to reach my dream. I will never back down again, and let someone else rescue me. I will never run away. I will not lose to Sasuke." I glanced over at Sasuke for a minute before looking back at Naruto. "Upon this wound, I make this pledge. Believe it. Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission, and protect you with this kunai knife."

"Naruto…" I mumbled.

He whipped around, the look of determination in his eyes before he smirked at us. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Naruto, uh that was really cool how you took the poison out and all, but if you lose anymore blood, you're going to die." Sensei said, all of us going quiet, the only sound made from a bird chirping. Naruto finally began to freak out and I sighed as sensei went over to bandage up his hand, moving to lean against a tree, with only one thought on my mind.

'_We've just bitten off more than we can chew…'_

**

* * *

****A/N: Well, next chapter should be up soon! Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review!**


	5. The Assasin of the Mist!

The fog was extremely thick around the water, a small boat and its five passengers barely visible. Sakura frowned as she glanced around. "This fog's so thick. You can't see anything!"

Kari sighed as she laid her head on one of her arms while resting both on the side of the boat. She reached her other hand out to the water, sticking it in and letting it move through the water as the boat moved. They had been sitting on this boat for almost 2 hours, and the movement was making her sleepy. She had actually almost fallen asleep, which she had been wanting to do, but Kakashi had told her to not fall asleep, so she had given up on that. She sat back up and pulled her hand out from the water, resting her back against the side of the boat. "How much farther do we have to go?" She asked quietly.

"The bridge isn't far now." The driver said, stopping as he rowed. "Our destination is just ahead. The Land of Waves."

And as if some magical force had done it, the fog began to lift some, a half built bridge coming into the view of the passengers, the four Genin staring up at in wonder.

"**WOAH**! It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed rather loudly, everyone shooting a glare at him.

"Quiet! I told you, no noise. Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh? Cuttin' off the engine and rowing, moving through the dense fog? So they don't see us!" The driver explained quietly.

Naruto covered his mouth with both hands while his other three teammates continued to glare at him. Kari sighed and shook her head. "Naruto, you and your big mouth…."

"Mr. Tazuna…before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something. The men who are after you; I need to know why. If you don't tell us…I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission once we drop you ashore." Kakashi said, the warning in his tone not once disappearing.

_**The Assassin Of The Mist!**_

The bridge builder sighed. "I have no choice but to tell you. No…I want you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" Kakashi repeated, Tazuna grunting in response. "Hm…Who is it?"

"You know him. At least, I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world; The shipping magnet, Gato."

"Huh? Gato? Of Gato Transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him." Kakashi stated, surprised at this new revelation.

"Who, who? What, what?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Gato. He's a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true," Tazuna confirmed, "But below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations. He sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja. It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his fast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply…disappeared. In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything; Finance, government, our very lives. But there's one thing he fears: The bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder."

"So that's it. Since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this gangsters way." Sakura pointed out.

"That means those guys in the forest…they were working for Gato." Sasuke said.

Kari frowned as she glanced over at the bridge builder. "Mr. Tazuna, I'm confused. If you knew that he would send ninja after you to kill you, why didn't you say anything about it before?"

"Because the Land of Waves…is a small and poor nation. Even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge…they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission. It's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore…there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home." Tazuna said, Sakura and Naruto narrowing their eyes at him when they realized where he was going with this. "But, don't feel bad about that! Of course, my sweet little grandson will be upset, he'll cry 'Granddad, granddad! I want my granddad!' Oh, and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the hidden leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. Ah, well it's not your fault! Forget it."

Everyone sighed, Sakura and Kari feeling a bit guilty, Kakashi playing with the headband on his forehead. "Well, I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you."

"Oh, I'm very grateful!"

'_Manipulative old geezer!' _Kari mentally screamed.

"We're approaching the shore. Tazuna, we've been very fortunate no one has noticed us so far." The driver said.

"Nice going." Tazuna complimented. They rowed through a tunnel and came out on the other side to find they were out of the fog, sunlight shining down on the water.

Kari glanced around excitedly, new to all of this. "It's beautiful…" She mumble as she stared at the water. Once they were at the pier, they all got off, thanking the boat driver for the ride before continuing on with escorting the bridge builder home in one piece. Kakashi and Tazuna walked in the back, while Kari and the others walked in the front, Naruto leading them. Naruto suddenly ran ahead, the group stopping as he looked around, straightening up and pulling out a kunai from his pouch and throwing it to his left.

"Over there!" He exclaimed as he threw the kunai in the bushes, Sakura, Kari, Tazuna, and Kakashi's eyes all going wide in shock. When nothing happened, Naruto stood straight up and smirked. "It was just a mouse."

"Mouse? Yeah right, everyone can see through your stupid act! You're so obvious, it's embarrassing!" Sakura exclaimed angrily, pointing at Naruto.

"Naruto, those are kunai knives. They're dangerous." Kakashi stated.

**"STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU LITTLE DRAWRF!" **Tazuna screamed angrily.

"Hey, is someone hiding over there?" Naruto asked, looking to his right before looking to the left. "No, over there! **OVER THERE**!" He exclaimed, pulling out another kunai and throwing it to his right and into the bushes.

Kari walked over to him and bopped him on the head. **"STOP THROWING KUNAI OR YOU WON'T HAVE ANY LEFT TO USE TO FIGHT WITH!"**

"That's it, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, walking over and hitting on the head as well.

Naruto rubbed his head. "Wh-why'd you do that? Someone really is following us, I mean it!"

"Yeah right! Quit lying and acting like dumb kid!" Sakura ordered while the sensei walked through the bushes, Kari glancing around him, only to scream in shock.

"Oh, no!"

Sakura looked to see what she was yelling about and gasped before glaring at Naruto. "Naruto, look what you did!"

"Ah! A rabbit!" He ran over to pick it up and hug it. "Oh, I'm sorry little rabbit, I'm sorry!"

Kari took the rabbit from him. "You put him in shock, Naruto! The poor little guy can't even move!"

Tazuna sighed. "All this fuss over a rodent?"

"I didn't mean to! Honest!" Naruto exclaimed, taking the rabbit back and hugging it again, trying to apologize. Kari stiffened as soon as he did, the bad feeling of something being off coming back. This time, it was worse. She glanced around warily, turning to glare at the trees. She narrowed her eyes, putting her hand on her kunai pouch, the action catching Sasuke's attention

"What is it?" Sasuke asked as he watched her glancing around.

"Shh…" Kari shushed him, putting a finger to her lips and closing her eyes, blocking out all sound. She heard movement from one tree as it moved to another one, her eyes widening as she saw a glint from something.

"Look out!" Kakashi warned, a large sword flying out from the trees and straight at the bridge builder.

"Get down!" Kari screamed, knocking the bridge builder out of the way with her, everyone else jumping out of the way as well, the sword getting stuck in a tree instead and the owner jumping down to stand on the handle of it. Everyone got back on their feet, Kakashi walking forward.

"Well, well, if isn't Zabuza Momochi; rouge ninja from the village Hidden in the Mist." Naruto ran forward, only to have Kakashi stop him. "You're in the way. Get back."

"But why?" Naruto demanded.

"He's not like those other ninja. He's in a whole other league. If he's our opponent, I'll need this." Kakashi said, moving to pushing up the part of his headband that covered his right eye. "This could be treacherous."

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. Did I get that right?" Zabuza asked. "It's too bad, huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man."

"Now, quick! Manji formation!" Kakashi ordered. "Protect the bridge builder. And stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork. Now it's time to use it." Kakashi said, lifting up the head band at last and opening his eye. "I'm ready!"

"Well, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor."

"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan, Sharingan! Will someone please tell me what Sharingan is?" Naruto asked, completely lost.

"Sharingan;" Sasuke began, everyone turning their attention to him, "A rare power. It resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or dojutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjustu, and reflect the attack back on the attacker. The Sharingan is a special, rare form of dojutsu. However, there's more to the Sharingan than that. A lot more."

"Oh…" Kari mumbled in wonder.

"You got it right boy, but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze an opponents technique, and then copy it to the smallest detail." Zabuza said, a sudden fog coming up, thicker than the one before. "As for you, Jonin, in the assassination unit in the hidden mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo book. It called you the man who copied over a thousand jutsu: Kakashi, the copy ninja."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man…now." Immediately, the four Genin ran in front of Tazuna, kunai drawn out and ready to protect him. "So, I'll have to eliminate you first eh, Kakashi? So be it." Zabuza pulled his sword out from the tree and quickly disappeared, moving over to water.

"He's over there!" Naruto shouted.

"Standing on the water!" Sakura exclaimed.

Kari's eyes narrowed as she watched Zabuza make a hand sign, water beginning to fly up and around him. "Ninja art: Hidden Mist jutsu!" And suddenly, he vanished.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Kari asked, glancing around warily.

"He vanished." Naruto said, surprised about it.

"Sensei…" Sakura said nervously.

"He'll come after me first." Kakashi assured.

"But…who is he?" Kari asked, frowning in confusion.

"Zabuza Momochi: The ex leader of the Hidden Mist assassination unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique."

"S-silent?" Naruto repeated.

"As the name suggests, it happens at an instant without a sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast, you pass from this life without realizing what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard." Kakashi warned. Each of the Genin made sounds of worry. "Well if we fail, we only lose our lives."

"How can you say that?" Sakura exclaimed angrily.

The mist began to grow thicker, until it was to the point that the four Genin and bridge builder could no longer see Kakashi.

"Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.

"8 points…" Someone muttered, everyone glancing all around them. Zabuza then listed off 8 different internal organs, creeping everyone out. "Now… which will be my kill point?"

Suddenly, the fog blew away, and the Genin could see their sensei again. Kari glanced at each of her teammates and the bridge builder, her gaze stopping on Sasuke as he stood next to her, his eyes wide as he stared straight at Kakashi. He had the look of fear in his eyes, and Kari could see small beads of sweat forming on his face. She glanced down at his hands to find that they were shaking. She reached her hand out and placed it on top of his, shaking them slightly. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

"Sasuke!" Kakashi exclaimed, catching both Genin's attention. "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life…All of you. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me." Kakashi assured, turning around to give them all a smile.

Sasuke stopped shaking and glanced down at his hand, following the arm until he reached the face of Kari, who gave him a reassuring smile and a pat on his hand before pulling her hand back. "Don't worry, Sasuke. Sensei will keep us safe."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Zabuza said from wherever he was. Before anyone knew what had happened, Zabuza had appeared right in the middle of their formation. "It's over."

Kari gasped as he lifted his sword, her eyes widening even more when Kakashi ran over to them quickly, pushing them out of the way and stopping Zabuza by stabbing him with a Kunai. Kari immediately picked herself off the ground and readied her Kunai, only to lower it slightly when she saw not blood coming from the wound Kakashi had inflicted on Zabuza, but water.

"A water clone?" Kari exclaimed, "Then that means…."

"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto exclaimed, but it was too late. Zabuza slashed Kakashi in half. Kari smirked, shaking her head when she realized Zabuza had just fallen for her sensei's trap, her smirk widening when Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, putting a kunai to his neck.

"You should never doubt our sensei!" Kari exclaimed

"She's right. You shouldn't. Don't move. Now it's over. You're finished."

Naruto gasped quietly before smiling. "Alright!"

Sakura laughed happily, Sasuke and Kari both remaining quiet, Kari's eyes narrowed at the scene before her. Judging by how the sensei had described Zabuza and what he did, she figured that he couldn't be taken down that easily. He was tough, and there was no way that Kakashi could've been able to gain the upper hand that fast…So what was going to happen next?

Suddenly, Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, the one in front of him turning back into water. Naruto screamed. "Hey, that ones a clone, too!"

Kari's eyes widened as she watched Zabuza lift his sword and began to bring it down on Kakashi. He ducked down, the sword coming back the opposite way and getting stuck in ground, Zabuza putting his hand on the handle, lifting a foot and kicking Kakashi into the air and into the water. Zabuza pulled his sword out from the ground and was ready to go after him, only to stop for some reason before jumping into the water after Kakashi.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted worriedly.

"This isn't looking too good." Kari stated.

"He has great physical skill, too." Sasuke said, apparently talking about Zabuza.

Kakashi appeared out from under the water, and Zabuza appeared out of nowhere behind him, performing several hand signs. "Water Prison jutsu!"

A giant sphere of what appeared to be water trapped Kakashi inside, the four Genin and bridge builder gasping in shock. "Oh no…this is definitely not good."

Naruto looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? What is that thing that guy trapped Kakashi-sensei inside of?"

"It's a special water style jutsu called Water Prison jutsu. It's a jutsu used to trap someone inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water, and the one thing that makes it impossible to escape from is that it's as strong as steel, making it impossible to break out from the inside or from the outside. There's downside to this technique for the user though: in order to keep the jutsu going, the user has to have at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order to keep the victim imprisoned." Kari explained.

Zabuza looked at them and made a hand sign. "Water Clone jutsu!"

"And without sensei out here with us, this whole situation just got at least 10 times worse." Kari admitted, glaring at the clone as it rose out from the water and laughed.

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja? When you've hovered in between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly, your profile is entered into my Bingo book, then you may have earned the title, ninja." Zabuza explained, making another hand sign. "But to call upstarts like you ninja, is a joke." A thick fog appeared again, concealing Zabuza from them. Kari glanced around, ready for him to come out from anywhere, only to be surprised when he appeared in front of Naruto and kicked him back, Naruto's headband flying off of his head and onto the ground, Zabuza putting his foot on it. "You're just brats."

Kari glanced at Naruto worriedly, while Sasuke and Sakura stared in shock, Sakura screaming. "Naruto!"

"Listen," Kakashi yelled to them from inside the water prison, "Get the bridge builder out of here and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone. But the clone can't go far from its real body. If you get away from him, he can't follow! Now run!"

"Is he serious?" Kari asked aloud.

Sasuke clenched his teeth. _'Run away? Not an option. That became unthinkable the moment you got caught. No matter how fast we run or how far we go, he'll track us down…and wipe us out. If we try a Manji defense formation, he can get around it in an instant! In the end…if were on our own…we're finished. Our only chance of survival is to rescue you.' _"We've got to do it!" Sasuke exclaimed, running forward and straight at Zabuza, throwing several ninja stars at him, Zabuza knocking all of them back with his sword, Sasuke avoiding them by jumping into the air and causing Zabuza to look up. Sasuke fell towards him, kunai readied. "Now!"

Zabuza smirked. "Too easy." He mumbled, grabbing Sasuke by the neck and throwing him off to the side.

"Sasuke, no!" Sakura cried.

"He got Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed in shock.

Kari gasped as she watched the whole thing unfold before her, running over to Sasuke to make sure he was ok. _'Is Uchiha trying to get himself killed? Doing a head on attack like he just attempted to do isn't going to work, because it leaves you open for attack! And I know that running away won't work, because he'll still manage to catch us.' _Kari thought as she knelt down next to Sasuke, helping him up. Kari watched as Naruto stayed where he was, bent down on one knee right in front of Zabuza. _'If he doesn't get out of the way, Zabuza will squish him like a bug!'_ Finally, Naruto got up, only to run forward with a battle cry. Kari's eyes widened. "Naruto, don't do it!"

Sakura screamed, pulling at her hair. "**AAHHH! **Naruto, what in the world are you doing?" Zabuza punched Naruto back when he got too close, Naruto rolling back to the group. Everyone was quiet, until Sakura yelled at Naruto again. "What're you thinking charging at him by yourself? Even Sasuke couldn't get to him! We're only Genin, we can't defeat a Jonin! What'd you think you'd accomplish by-"

"Sakura, hush!" Kari ordered, pointing down at Naruto, causing Sakura to gasp as she saw Naruto sitting up, his headband in his hand. Kari grew a small smile on her face as Naruto stood back up on his feet, a bit wobbly.

"Hey, you: The freak with no eyebrows," Naruto stated, causing Kari to mentally laugh inside, "Put this in your bingo book; The ninja that will become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves…" He stopped, sighing and putting his headband back on. "He never backs down….His name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

'_Man, he's tough if he's not gonna give up…Might as well believe him.' _"You tell 'em, Naruto!" Kari exclaimed.

Naruto smirked, before looking over at Sasuke. "Alright, Sasuke, listen up. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you."

"I've got a plan."

'_Hmph. Now he's got a plan? This guy…' _"So, you're finally thinking about teamwork, huh?"

Naruto's smirk widened as he reached a hand to wipe off the blood on the side of his mouth. "All right, now guys…let's go wild!"

"Yeah…" Kari nodded in agreement. "So, what's this big plan you've got?"

**2 minutes later~**

"Ok, ready? Let's bring this guy down!"

Zabuza laughed. "Big words for such a little man. You think your plan's going to keep you in the game?"

"What're you doing? I told you to run!" Kakashi exclaimed. "This fight was over the moment I got caught. Now take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are. It's to save the bridge builder. Stay on mission!"

Naruto frowned before turning around to look at Tazuna. "Bridge builder?"

"Hmm….Well, I…I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!"

Sasuke smirked. "Hn…All right, you here that?"

"Yeah, believe it. You ready?" Naruto asked.

Zabuza began to laugh. "You really haven't learned anything, have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja. When I was your age, this hand had already crushed many opponents."

The Genin and bridge builder all gasped, while Kakashi glared at Zabuza before looking at the others. "Long ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist, also known as blood mist village, before a student could become a ninja, there was one final test."

"Hm…Do you know about the graduation exam?" Zabuza asked Kakashi.

"What graduation exam? What's the big deal anyway? We had graduation tests, too." Naruto said, Zabuza laughing at him.

"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" They all stiffened at that. "Imagine: Young ninja like you, eating together, training together, and then comes the final exam, only they change the rules. Kill or be killed. You can't stop your while your opponent still breaths. He was your friend, shared your dreams! Now, it's him or you."

"How…how awful!" Kari exclaimed.

"That's so cruel." Sakura said, putting a hand to her mouth.

"Ten years ago, in the Village hidden in the mist, the graduation exam changed." Kakashi continued. "One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror."

"What's he saying? What evil? What kind of change? What caused the terror?" Sakura asked anxiously.

"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class, and took down over a hundred students."

Kari's caramel colored orbs widened as she listened. "He…He killed them all?"

Zabuza was silent for a moment before looking up at the sky. "It…It felt so…good."

Before anyone could tell what was happening, Zabuza appeared in front of Sasuke and knocked him into the air, Sasuke landing on his back roughly. He couldn't even manage to get up before Zabuza came back and brought his elbow down onto his stomach, Sasuke screaming in pain, blood coming out of his mouth. Zabuza put his foot on Sasuke's stomach, keeping him pinned down, crushing him.

'_This is bad! If that freak keeps pushing his foot down on him like that, Sasuke might end up with a couple of broken ribs, or worse…dead. I could use the Uproot tree bind jutsu and have the roots come uproot beneath Sasuke and have them drag him underground and back over here, but that risks the chance of Zabuza using his sword and killing Sasuke, and it also depletes most of my chakra. If I don't have enough chakra, then I can't protect myself and the others if I need to…'_

Naruto made a hand sign. "Stop right there!" He exclaimed. "Shadow clone jutsu!"

At least fifty clones appeared, all of them surrounding Zabuza, pulling out kunai knives and readying themselves. "Here we go!" they all exclaimed. Since Zabuza's foot was no longer crushing Sasuke, he managed to sit up weakly, just in time to see all the clones jump up and lunge at Zabuza. They all landed on him, piling up on top of him. Kari ran over to Sasuke and knelt down next to him.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah…" Just as he said that, Zabuza threw the clones off of him, all of them sent flying on the ground.

Naruto looked through his backpack as he slid on the ground. "I'm not giving up…I've still got this! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, throwing something into the air to Sasuke.

Sasuke jumped up and caught, landing on both feet with a smirk on his face. Kari smirked when she saw what it was, watching as Sasuke opened it up. "Demon wind shuriken! Windmill of shadows!"

"Shuriken?" Zabuza repeated, sounding somewhat amused. "You'll never touch me with that."

"Now!" Kari shout-whispered, and Sasuke leaped up into the air and threw the shuriken at Zabuza. He was surprised when it went around the water clone and at the real one.

"So, you passed the clone and aimed for my real body. Smart." Zabuza complimented, sticking a hand out and grabbing the shuriken. "But not smart enough."

"Really?" Kari asked, a second shuriken appearing, heading straight for the target. The group watched intently as the shuriken continued on course. Zabuza jumped up at the last minute, dodging the shuriken.

"I told you a shuriken can't touch me!"

Sasuke and Kari both smirked. "Hn…"

"That was the whole point…" Kari said, her smirk widening as the Shuriken transformed into Naruto, Zabuza turning around to stare in shock.

"What?"

"Eat this!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing a Kunai at him. Kari was thinking that it would possibly nail him, but Zabuza jumped out of the way right in time, just like they had wanted him to. He glanced back at Naruto, and everyone noticed that the Kunai had managed to cut him right below his eye. He prepared to throw the real Shuriken he had caught at Naruto, and everyone panicked. But before anything could happen, Kakashi stopped the shuriken with the back of his hand, and Naruto fell safely in the water. Kari mentally whimpered when she saw the look on the sensei's face as he glared at Zabuza.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed happily.

"Heh! I knew that plan would work!" Kari said, nodding her head in agreement with herself while Naruto explained his plan to the sensei, saying how destroying the clone wasn't part of the plan, but that it was a bonus.

"Don't brag, you just lucked out." Sasuke said, closing his eyes.

"The whole thing was just a fluke!" The bridge builder exclaimed.

"Call it a fluke if you will, but that plan was completely flawless." Kari said, crossing her arms across her chest. _'And executed properly. Even though they're at each others throats most of the time, Sasuke and Naruto really make a great team.'_

While Kakashi and Zabuza stared each other down, Sasuke glanced at Kari and Sakura. "Sakura, Hikari, you know what to do."

Both girls nodded together. "Right." The three Genin stepped in front of the bridge builder, their arms out to protect him.

'_Come on sensei…you can beat him…I hope.'_

_**To be continued…**_

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**A/N: So, yeah…not much to say, except thanks to those of you that have reviewed! I appreciate you guys! Leave a review!**


	6. The Forest of Chakra!

When you're watching a fight and you see both of the people fighting jump back a few feet from each other, you know that it's about to get really serious. We all watched from our places as sensei and Zabuza both performed the same hand signs, the water in front of them rising up into the air, taking the form of dragons. "Water style: water dragon jutsu!"

Both water dragons began to fight, sending a large tidal wave of water at us, soaking us knocking and knocking me down, sending me flying backwards. The water receded, and I sat up spitting out water. My hair had managed to come untied, so it was plastered to my face due to the water. I stood up and walked back over to the others to watch as Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza continued to fight, wringing my hair out. Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza jumped away from each other and began to run around in a circle, before both stopped and performed the same movements.

"He's just not following," The bridge builder pointed out, "He moves the same way at the same time."

"How's he doing that? How, Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

The Uchiha remained silent, and we all watched in surprise as Kakashi-sensei made Zabuza water clone, before making a couple of more hand signs. "Water style: Giant vortex jutsu!" A giant spiral of water shot out in front of Kakashi-sensei and went straight at Zabuza, hitting him head on. It shot out and hit the land, creating a strong gust of wind as it ran through the trees, shooting more water at us. I got hit with more water, and even more soaked. Zabuza hit a tree, and Kakashi-sensei threw several kunai at him, each one hitting him. But before sensei could finish him, two senbon needles came out of nowhere and hit Zabuza right in the neck, causing him to instantly fall forward.

"Uh…what…what just happened?" I asked, shocked by what had just unfolded. I glanced up at the tree where the needles had come from, my eyes widening when I saw someone in a mask standing in it.

The person bowed to sensei. "Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down."

"By your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi stated is his observation.

The boy straightened back up. "Impressive. You're well informed."

Naruto slid in front of the us. "Ah! A tracker!"

"Naruto, you don't even know what that is." Sakura stated, Naruto glancing at her over his shoulder. "You missed the lesson on it as usual. Tracker ninja have a special role. Try coming to class sometime." Sakura suggested before continuing on with her explanation. "When a rouge ninja breaks away from his village, he carries all kinds of secrets with him, the secrets of his people. Trackers are specially trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them. That way, the secrets of their people remain secrets."

"That's correct. I'm a member of the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden In the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza." The boy explained to us. Naruto ran forward and stopped, glaring up at the masked person and over to sensei, glancing back and forth between the masked person and Zabuza's body.

"What is this? Who do you think you are?" Naruto demanded, pointing a finger at the masked person, all of us gasping at how Naruto was acting. When the boy said nothing, Naruto just grew more frustrated. "Did you hear me?"

Sensei stood up and spoke calmly. "Easy, Naruto. He's not our enemy."

"That's not the point! Did you see what he did, just like that? Zabuza was huge, and powerful like some kind of monster. And this kid, who's no bigger than me…he brought down Zabuza with one move, like it was nothing. I mean, what does that make us? We're just fumbling around! We don't know anything! How can I accept that?" Naruto exclaimed, Kakashi-sensei walking over and stopping in front of him.

"Well, even if you don't accept it…still, it did happen, Naruto." Naruto stared at him blankly and sensei put his hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "In this world, there are kids who are younger than you. And yet…stronger than me."

The tracker disappeared and reappeared in front of Zabuza's body, bending down and heaving the large body up onto his back, glancing over at us. "Your struggle is over for now. I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body. They must not be allowed to get in the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Farwell." And with that said, the tracker disappeared, taking the body with him.

Naruto gasped. "He disappeared!"

"Nice observation." I mumbled sarcastically.

Kakashi-sensei sighed, pulling his headband back down to cover his Sharingan eye, Naruto running over to where the tracker had been, stopping there. "He's gone, Naruto. Let it go."

"URGGHH!" Naruto fell to his knees and began to punch the ground. "What're we doing here? We're nothing! I can't believe it!" He shouted, continuing to hit the ground as if it had done something wrong, all of us just staring at him.

"Naruto…" Sakura mumbled sadly.

Sensei walked over to him and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger for the next enemy." He released his arm and turned back around to look at us. "We haven't completed our mission yet. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

The bridge builder laughed. "Sorry I caused all this trouble for ya, but uh, you can rest up at my house when we get to the village."

"All right. Let's get a move on." Sensei ordered, taking about 3 steps forward before he stopped and fell face forward onto the ground. All of us gasped, running to him.

"What…what happened?" Sakura asked no one in particular. I knelt down next to Kakashi-sensei, only to find him out cold.

"Looks like someone overdid it a little too much." I stated, sighing loudly. "Looks like were gonna have to carry him. All right," I said, hefting up my sensei from the ground, glancing back over to see my teammates staring at me stupidly. "Well, don't just stand there like idiots and think that I'm gonna do this by myself! Someone grab his other arm!" Sasuke moved forward and grabbed sensei's over arm, draping it over his shoulder, and nodded. "Ok, now we go!"

And so, we began to continue on our journey to the bridge builders house.

* * *

Kari sighed happily, snuggling further into the blanket that the bridge builders daughter, whose name was Tsunami, had offered her while her soaked and muddy clothes were being washed and dried, Kari wearing just a regular pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Currently, she was digging through her messenger bag for an extra hair tie, not having much luck at finding one so far. She grumbled in annoyance as another strand of hair fell in her face, blowing it up, only to have it fall back down. Instead of just digging through her bag, she decided to just dump everything out of it, ninja weapons falling out and landing on the floor with a clatter, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's attention going to their teammate as she continued her search.

Sasuke sighed in annoyance by all the noise she was making. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a hair tie. When that big wave hit us, my hair came lose and my hair tie got lost." Kari explained, looking under all of her bags contents.

"How come you just don't leave it down? I mean, it's long enough, and it makes you look kinda cute." Sakura complimented.

Kari stopped looking, glancing over at her pink haired comrade before standing up and walking into the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror. Her hair was long alright. Too long for her liking. It had managed to grow down past her shoulders, almost reaching her lower back. She frowned at her reflection, replacing the image of herself with another woman for a moment before walking back out of the bathroom and picking up a kunai from her bag.

"So, are you gonna leave it down?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kari didn't answer her, only measured her hair until she reached her shoulders, taking her hair in her hand and putting the kunai to it, chopping off the hair she had measured up to her shoulders, Sakura gasping while Sasuke and Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. No one said anything as they watched her walk over to the garbage can and throw the hair in it, walking back over to her bag and began putting everything back in it.

"Why'd…why'd you cut it?" Sakura asked.

Kari sent her a smile. "Having long hair…just doesn't suit me. It makes me look like someone I'd rather not look like. Besides, long hair is a hassle to take care of." Kari explained, putting the kunai back in her pouch. "Hey, Sakura? You wouldn't happen to have a hair tie with you, would you?"

Sakura blinked. "Uh…yeah, actually. Here." Sakura said, pulling off a small hair tie from her wrist and handing it to Kari.

"Thank you." Kari said, pulling her hair up and tying it into a messy ponytail. Kari continued placing everything back in her bag, stopping as she picked up a piece of paper. She flipped it over, realizing that it was actually a picture. Her smile she had been wearing disappeared as she stared down at it, turning into a frown, remembering the day the picture had been taken.

_**Flashback~6 years ago~**_

"_What are you doing, Hikari?" _

_Hikari looked over at the one who had asked the question, grinning happily. "Making you a pretty flower crown, momma. See?" Kari said, holding out the item to show her mother._

_She laughed. "It's very nice. I can't wait to try it on." _

"_What about me, munchkin? Don't I get something made out of flowers, too?" _

"_Mhmm! But you have to wait for me to finish mommy's first, okay, daddy?" _

_He laughed at her statement. "Okay, Hikari." _

_She smiled, looking over at her younger sibling. "Konohamaru, I'll make you something, too!" _

_The 2 year old stared up at the older girl, not understanding what she was saying to him, but still giving her a grin. _

"_Hey, how about we take a quick picture?" Her father suggested, pulling a camera out from the bag he had brought, moving over to set it down on a flat surface, setting the timer on it. "Okay, smile and say cheese."_

_Kari smiled as her mother and father both held her to them, Konohamaru in her lap. "Cheese!" _

_***SNAP***_

_**Present day~**_

"…ari! Kari!"

Kari jumped slightly, glancing up to see Sakura waving a hand in front of her. "Huh?"

"I've been calling your name for at least a minute. You spaced out or something."

Kari sheepishly smiled, placing the picture back in her bag. "Sorry."

"Anyway, sensei is awake now, so we're gonna go talk to him." Sakura said, helping Kari up off the floor and leading her to the room the sensei was in.

He glanced at them as they walked into the room. "Oh, there they are."

"Listen, sensei, your Sharingan is amazing and everything, but if it puts that much strain on you, maybe it's not worth it." Sakura said as she knelt down next to him.

"Sorry…" Kakashi mumbled tiredly.

"Heh, well you did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins, so we'll be safe for awhile." Tazuna said from where he was standing, fanning himself with a paper fan.

"Right, but…you know that boy with the mask? What about him?"

"He's from the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Those masks are only worn by the elite shinobi." Kakashi said, frowning slightly.

"What exactly do they do?" Sakura asked.

Kari opened her mouth before Kakashi could explain. "The ANBU Black Opps, or the Inferno squad, destroy all traces of a rouge ninjas corpse. See, a shinobi's body contains all sorts of secrets, like ninjustu, chakra, special medicenes used on his body, all the following are secrets of his village. If his enemies find him, then his people will be put in grave danger."

"For instance," Kakashi began, "if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, he would try to analyze my Sharingan. In the worst case, my entire jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village. It is the sacred duty of the shinobi trackers to prevent this. To keep the village secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village, the trackers hunt him down, eliminate him, and obliterate every trace of his existence. That's their specialty."

_**The Forest of Chakra**_

Kari frowned slightly as a thought came to mind. _'But something doesn't add up with that kid in the mask…from what grandpa told me about how the black opps and tracker ninja work, he said that when they kill the rouge ninja, they have to get rid of the body right away…so…why'd that kid take it off somewhere?'_

"To finish what I was saying, tracker ninja deal with the body immediately, on the spot, so there's no room for error." Kakashi finished.

"Is that really important?" Sakura asked.

"Think about it: do you remember what that tracker did with Zabuza's body?"

Kari's eyes narrowed. "He took it off somewhere."

"Exactly. But why? He should've worked on Zabuza right there, as quickly as possible. Think of the weapons he used for the takedown. Do you remember what they were?"

"Throwing needles." Sasuke answered, before a frown appeared on his face. "No way…"

"Exactly. None of it adds up." Kakashi stated, rubbing his temples.

"But, wait…those needles weren't just your normal throwing needles, sensei. They were senbon needles, and I'm positive they were because Genma is always chewing on one wherever he goes." Kari pointed out.

"What're you all yammering about? You demolished that assassin." Tazuna stated.

"Here's the truth: Zabuza is still alive."

Tazuna, Sakura, and Naruto all screamed in shock, Kari and Sasuke frowning. "But we saw his body! Believe it!"

"Kakashi-sensei, you checked him yourself. You said that his heart stopped!" Sakura reminded.

"His heart did stop. But…that was just a temporary state to simulate death. Like Hikari just said, the weapons that tracker used are called senbon. They can pierce deeply, but rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ, not in the neck. They're modified for needles used for medical treatments, like acupuncture. Trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body. Causing the heart to stop temporarily while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them. First, he carried Zabuza's body away, even though it's much heavier than he is. Second, he used senbon, which have a precise effect, but are rarely fatal. From these two factors, we can conclude that the tracker wasn't trying to destroy Zabuza…He was trying to save him."

"Come on. You're over thinking this, aren't you?" Tazuna asked.

"Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly. Hesitation leads to disaster. Every shinobi knows this saying." Kakashi explained.

"Sensei, you said prepare quickly, but how can we do that when you can barely move?" Sakura asked, pointing out the one dilemma they had.

Kakashi laughed. "I can still train you."

"Hold on! A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza!" Sakura exclaimed, frowning angrily. "You could barely defeat, even with your Sharingan! We have to be reasonable about this!"

"Sakura," Kakashi began, "Why was I able to stop Zabuza? Because…You all helped me. You've grown. Naruto."

"Huh?"

Kakashi leaned forward and smiled. "You've grown the most."

"So you noticed, Kakashi-sensei. Now things are gonna get better, believe it!"

"I don't believe it! And nothings gonna be good!" Someone shouted, everyone turning around to see a little boy standing in the doorway.

Naruto stared at him for a moment before pointing at him. "Who are you?"

"Ah, Inari! Where've you been?" Tazuna asked the boy, who climbed up onto the platform and ran to the old man for a hug.

"Welcome back, grandpa!"

Tsunami walked over to them, an angry frown on her face. "Inari, that was very rude! These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely."

Tazuna began to pat the little boys hat. "It's ok, it's ok. I'm rude to them too." Tazuna said, laughing slightly.

Inari stared at Naruto, Sakura, Kari, and Sasuke for a minute, his eyes holding a somewhat angry look in them before he turned to face his mother. "Mom, don't you see? These people are gonna die! Gato and his men will come back and find them and wipe them out."

Naruto stood up abruptly. "What'd you say, brat?"

"Oh, boy…" Kari mumbled.

"Listen up! You know what a super ninja is? Well, that's me, only a lot better. I'm gonna be Hokage! This Gato or Blato, or whatever he's called, is no match for a real hero like me!"

Kari and Sakura sweat dropped. "He sure is full of himself…" Sakura mumbled.

"You got that right…"

"Hah. There's no such thing as a hero. You're just full of stupid ideas!" Inari exclaimed.

Naruto moved forward. "What'd you say?"

Sakura grabbed him, "Naruto, calm down!"

"If you wanna stay alive, you should go back where you came from." Inari said, turning around and walking toward the doors, Kari staring at his back sadly.

"Inari, wait, where're you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To look out at the ocean. I wanna be alone!" With that said, he walked out of the room, leaving Tazuna and Tsunami apologizing for his behavior, Sakura still holding Naruto back.

'_That kid is the exact opposite of Konohamaru. Instead of being happy, he just acts like he's always sad…Poor little guy…'_

**

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**Several hours later~**

"All right, training starts now."

"Right!"

"First, we will begin with a review of chakra, the ninjas basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential."

Sasuke sighed. "We know that."

Naruto nodded and smiled. "He's right! A long time ago, we learned about…" He paused, thinking for a moment before continuing. "Catra!"

"Chakra…" Kakashi corrected, gesturing to Sakura. "Go ahead, Sakura."

While Sakura explained how Chakra worked, Kari played around with a Kunai until she was finished explaining, putting the weapon back in her pouch.

"Gah! What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations? The whole point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it?" Naruto asked, Sasuke agreeing with him on.

"Naruto's right, for once. We're already using chakra energy in our jutsu."

"No! You have not mastered this power, you can barely scratch the surface of it." Kakashi said, Sasuke now looking at him curiously.

**"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"** Naruto screamed, his face showing panic.

"Calm down and listen. It's just like Sakura said; You have to draw on physical and spiritual energies, and then combine them within yourself. BUT, how do you do that?" Kakashi asked his students.

"Oh, I know!" Kari exclaimed.

"Well, then go on ahead and explain to us, Hikari."

"See, each jutsu requires different types of chakra in different amounts. You have to select and combine them in exactly the right way."

"Right on the dot, Hikari. Up to now, you've just guessed at the proportions, hoping they would come out right. Even if you produce a lot of chakra, unless you can balance and control it, it's all worthless. The jutsu won't work at all, or it'll just be a joke. You waste so much energy that way, then you're out of chakra, and you can't fight at all. You're just a target."

"Uh…so how do we change that?" Naruto asked.

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature. To achieve this goal, you must be ready to put your life on the line."

"What…do we have to do?" Sakura asked slowly.

Kakashi chuckled. "Climb a tree."

"Climb a tree?" All four Genin repeated.

"That's right. But, there's just one rule; no hands."

Kari's confusion disappeared, beginning to figure out what he meant. "Oh…I think I know what you mean…"

"Do you? Would you like to demonstrate, since I'm sure someone already taught you this?" Kakashi asked.

Kari nodded. "Well, if you insist…" She made a hand sign and walked over to the tree, putting her foot to it and beginning to walk up the side of the trunk.

"She's climbing!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Straight up." Sakura pointed out, "And she's only using her feet!"

Kari only made it half-way up until she lost control and fell, doing a flip and landing on her feet. "Heh, I still have yet to climb to the very top."

Kakashi patted her on the head, hobbling past her and climbing up the tree himself, hanging upside on the branch. "Well, at least you all get the idea now. Focus your chakra towards the soles of your feet, and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of chakra."

"Wait a minute! That's a nice trick, but how does it help us fight Zabuza?"

"It's the only way to fight him, Sakura. That's the entire goal of this training. If you can master this, you can master any jutsu. Well…theoretically. The second point is to learn how to maintain chakra levels. When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to control and maintain chakra levels, a deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining chakra must become second nature, effortless. Well, I can talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills, will it? You need to apply the power of chakra through training." He threw down four kunai, one landing in front of each of the Genin. "Use the Kunai knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb, without using your hands. Then, try to get past that mark the next time, and the next."

'_So this won't be too easy, huh? Great…'_

"At first, you'll need to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible…until you get used to it. Ready?"

The four pulled the kunai knives out of the ground. "I'm more than ready, this is gonna be no sweat! Believe it! Remember what you said, sensei; I'm the one who's grown the most."

"You're definitely the one who talks the most, now get focused and do it." Kakashi ordered.

The four Genin all made hand signs, closing their eyes and maintaining their concentration to the soles of their feet. Naruto was the first person to break the silence. "I've got it! CHHHHAAARGE!" He cried, running forward, the others doing as he did. Kari laughed as Naruto only got two steps up the tree before falling on his head. She continued laughing the entire way, making it up to the entire top this time.

"Hey, this is fun!" Sakura called to them down below, Sasuke, Naruto's, and the sensei's attention going to Sakura, who was happily sitting in the branch high above.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed.

She giggled, sticking her tongue out at them.

"Well, looks like one of the female members of the squad is the most advanced in chakra control. Well done, Sakura." Kakashi complimented. "Now, what about Hikari?"

Everyone turned their attention over to the Sarutobi girl, who was leaning against the tree, still laughing. She finally managed to stop long enough to breath. "Oh…oh, man! HAHAHAHA! Naruto, you should really fall like that more often! It's hilarious! HAHAHA! And motivating!" She laughed in between, sitting down on the branch and shaking her head, silently laughing while Naruto frowned, not having been able to understand her at all.

"Well, make that both female members of our squad that have perfect chakra control. Nice job, Hikari."

"Yeah, good going Sakura and Hikari!" Naruto complimented.

"Did you see when he fell! HAHAHAH!" Kari giggled.

Sasuke gave a careless glance to the side. "Whatever…"

"Well, not only do Hikari and Sakura understand chakra, they can control and maintain it as well. We spoke about someone becoming Hokage one day, didn't we? Seems Sakura and Hikari both have the best chance at that, wouldn't you say? And as for the great Uchiha clan…Maybe they're not so great after all."

"Shut-up, sensei, you talk too much!" Sakura shouted angrily.

Kari stopped laughing at last and simply smiled down at the boys. "C'mon guys! You can do it!"

Naruto smirked. "All right! First I'll match Sasuke, then I'm going all the way to the top! Believe it!"

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**A/N: Crappy, I know, but hopefully it won't be next chapter! Please leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Land Where a Hero once Lived**_

**"ARRRGGH!"** Naruto shouted as he fell on his rear end, panting heavily before waving his hands and feet around. "Why is it so hard?"

Sasuke panted heavily as well, looking up at the tree to see how man marks he had made with Kunai so far. Naruto glanced over at him with glare, Sasuke doing the same before they both got back up, glaring at each other a little longer before running forward and up the trees. Kari was up in the same tree she had climbed up the day before, resting on the branch while watching Sasuke and Naruto both fail at trying to reach the top. She had been here most of the day with them, just watching them practice, though she was beginning to wish that the sensei had let her gone with Sakura and Tazuna to the bridge. Kakashi had asked her to make sure they didn't try to kill each other, so she had no choice but to comply. They had been here since the morning and the sun was already beginning to set, yet they were both still going at it.

Naruto fell back down, landing on his feet this time, while Sasuke was still climbing. Sasuke slashed the tree with the kunai before falling back down to the ground, landing on his feet. Kari clapped, smiling down at them from her place in the tree. Naruto stood back up, and closed his eyes, looking like he was deep in concentration before he was about to run off to the tree. He only got one step in before he was stopped.

"Hey! Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, Naruto falling flat on his face, earning a giggle from Kari.

"GAH! Sasuke! What're you doing? I was trying to focus my chakra!"

'_Well, at least he's headed in the right direction…' _Kari thought as she jumped out of the tree and back to the ground.

"Well, uh…" Sasuke began, "Y'know, the thing is…"

Naruto frowned. "Ugh, the thing is what?"

Sasuke looked away, a bit of a frustrated look appearing on his face, his left eye twitching slightly. "You-you know, you asked Sakura for advice when she was here? So what did she tell you?"

Naruto stared at him blankly for a minute before he laughed slyly, a smirk coming onto his face. "I'm not telling you…"

Kari sighed as they both glared at each other, stepping in between them. "Okay, I think it's time to call it quits. Let's head back to the house so we don't miss dinner!" _'At least during that they won't be trying to beat each other at something…'_

**Dinner time~**

"Ha-ha, it's been ages since we've had so many guests around our table!" Tazuna stated, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Kari watched in disgust as Sasuke and Naruto both stuffed their faces with food, her eye slightly twitching. At the same time, the two stood up, bowls in the air. "I want some more!" Both exclaimed, looking to glare at each other before sitting back down, turning around to puke. Kari scrunched up her face in disgust since she was seated next to Sasuke.

"**EWWW!"**

"**DON'T EAT SO MUCH IF YOU'RE GONNA PUKE IT UP!" **Sakura said, glaring at both boys angrily.

"I have to eat." Sasuke stated.

"And I have to eat more than him. It's the only possible way I'll get strong enough to beat him." Naruto said, smirking slightly.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "That's true…but puking won't help you."

Kari was thankful when dinner was over, hoping that she would never have to witness Sasuke and Naruto stuffing their faces ever again. Tsunami made some tea for everyone, Kari sipping it happily while Tsunami washed the dishes in the sink. "Thanks for the great dinner, Ms. Tsunami! It was delicious."

Tsunami sent Kari a smile. "You're very welcome!"

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, sipping their tea, until Sakura piped up. "Excuse me, this picture is torn. Is there some reason for that?" Sakura turned around to glance at the table. "Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like there was someone else in the picture, but they got torn out. I mean, that's kinda strange, isn't it?"

Everyone was silent for a moment until Tsunami spoke up. "It's my husband."

"They used to call him a hero in this land." Tazuna said quietly.

Kari glanced at Inari as he got up from his spot next to her and walked began to walk out. Tsunami called after him, yelling at her father before going after the younger boy. Kari sighed, resting her head in her arms, closing her eyes. She listened as Tazuna began to explain what had made Inari so sad, nearly falling asleep shortly after he explained how Inari's father, Kaiza, was killed by Gato's men, and how everyone looked up to him as hero. Kari's eyes shot open when Tazuna said that Inari watched his father die right before his eyes, memories coming back to her.

"_Momma, don't close your eyes…"_

"_Promise me you'll take care of him…"_

"_I promise…"_

"_I'll always be with you…Hikari…"_

"_Momma, don't leave me! Please don't go! MOMMA!"_

**"SNAP OUT OF IT, WOULD YA!"** Sakura shouted, shaking Kari's shoulders, surprising the girl.

"Wah!"

"Hikari, are you alright?" Kakashi asked.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm great! What makes you think I'm not?"

"You spaced out…" Sasuke said, frowning slightly at the girl. _'That look in her eyes…it was a look of pain…'_

Kari grinned. "I'm just tired, that's all. Well, I'm gonna hit the hay, so goodnight everyone!" Kari said, running out of the room and to the room that they were staying in while they were here. She walked over to the bed she was using, sitting down on it and grabbing her bag, pulling out the picture from yesterday and staring down at it sadly.

'_I know what it feels like…to watch your parent die in front of you…it hurts a lot because you feel helpless. It really, really, REALLY hurts…'_

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"Once again, it was delicious, Ms. Tsunami! I don't think I've had any better cooking than yours!" Kari exclaimed, setting her chopsticks down on her now empty plate.

Tsunami smiled. "Well, thank you! I'm glad to know you liked it."

Sakura walked out, yawning loudly and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Good morning, everyone." She walked over and took a seat at the table, Tsunami bringing her a plate of food, setting it down in front of her.

"Here."

"Oh, thank you!"

"Naruto's not here? Looks like he was out all night again…" Tazuna said.

"He's gone completely crazy. He's out climbing trees in the dark." Sakura explained, a bored expression coming onto her face. "He could be dead by now. You know, from using up too much of his chakra."

"Now I'm worried." Kari said.

"Well, I certainly hope he's ok. A child spending the night in the woods alone…" Tsunami said, as if the very idea was unheard of.

"There's nothing to worry about. Naruto's a goofy kid, but he's also a full fledged ninja. He can handle himself." Kakashi assured.

"Sakura's right. Naruto's such a loser, he's probably lying out there dead somewhere." Sasuke stated, and Kari stood up.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go make sure he's alive enough to come back and eat something. You can't really train on an empty stomach." Kari said, standing up from her seat and walking out the door, heading towards the woods. She wasn't even gone for 3 minutes when Sasuke walked up next to her. "Let me guess: The first thing you're going to say to Naruto when we find is this: 'You're a loser for sleeping in the woods.'"

Sasuke smirked at her guess. "Naruto is already a loser."

"Really? Than how come he's doing better with Chakra control than you are?" Sasuke sent a glare at her and she grinned. "Ah, so it's true! Sasuke Uchiha doesn't want to admit that he needs help with something?"

"I don't need help at all."

"Then why did you ask Naruto about what Sakura told him about how to climb the tree the right way?" When he didn't say anything, she smiled. "Well, since you're pride is more important than anything else in the world to you, I'll be nice enough to just tell you how to do it without you asking."

"Why-"

"Shut-up and just listen. Ok, there's three rules on how to get to climb up the right way: Relax, Concentrate, and Focus. Relax yourself, which you haven't been doing at all when you try to climb. Since your attention is so caught up on beating the idiot, you can't climb up right. If you can't relax yourself, the chakra doesn't flow right. Concentrate your chakra to your feet and hold it there. And lastly, solely focus on the tree, since you're using chakra to climb up it. And there you have it! The three basic steps that are guaranteed to work! You're welcome!"

She began to run ahead of Sasuke, leaving him wide eyed. "H-hey! Wait up!"

Hikari ignored him and kept running, running past one person and not even bothering to take a glance at them. She stopped when she found Naruto, sitting on the ground, a frown on his face. "Woah! I've seen a lot of weird things in my life before, but this one takes the cake."

Kari laughed as Sasuke whacked the blonde on the head. "Hey, twerp, did you just forget about breakfast. You're such a loser."

Kari sighed, moving off to sit up in the tree. She leaned back and stared up at the sky. She couldn't wait until they left and got to go home.

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**A/N: Okay, don't hate me for this, but I'm spending way too much time with this part of the story, so I'm gonna skip ahead next chapter to when they get back to village, okay? Sorry if you guys don't like that, but I feel like it needs to be necessary. Hope you guys are still enjoying it! Leave a review please! LATER TATERS!**


	8. Battle on the Bridge!

**A/N: So, you know how I said that I was going to just skip ahead to when they get back to the village? Yeah, well, I remembered last night while I was falling asleep that I had reason for doing the Land of Waves arc, and that reason is actually going to develop Hikari's character some more, and it's going to tell you some more about her and stuff. Ugh, today is my last day of freedom until I go back to school tomorrow T-T! Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

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**2 days later~**

"Hold on! What the heck is this?"

Today, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei and I were on guard duty while Naruto stayed behind to rest at the Bridge builders house. When we got to the bridge, we hadn't really been expecting what we were seeing in front of us now. The construction workers were all on the ground, some of them groaning in pain. From what I could tell, they were all alive, but hurt really bad.

"What happened? Someone was here, someone got to them!" Tazuna exclaimed.

A mist appeared all around us, and sensei looked worried now. "Sasuke, Hikari, Sakura! Get ready!" He ordered, and we all got into position around Tazuna, pulling out kunai knifes and readying ourselves.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's Zabuza, isn't it?" Sakura asked the sensei. "This is his hidden mist jutsu."

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Kakashi. I see you've still got those brats with you." It was Zabuza. "That one's still trembling. Pitiful." I glanced over at Sasuke, realizing that he was the one Zabuza was talking about. The next thing I know, we're all surrounded by water clones.

Sasuke smirked. "I'm trembling…with excitement."

'_Stupid Uchiha...thinks he's so cool...'_

"Go on, Sasuke." Kakashi ordered, and Uchiha took off, getting rid of all the water clones with the kunai, landing right back to where he had been standing.

"Ooh, so you could see they were water clones, huh? Brats improving." Zabuza said, walking forward to where we could see him, the masked boy standing next to him. "Looks like you've got a rival, Haku."

"Well, well…So I had it right. It was all an act." Kakashi-sensei stated.

"An act?" Tazuna repeated.

"With a cute little mask."

"WAH?"

"Big phony. Hah." Sasuke scoffed.

"So, I guess that all that about being a tracker ninja protecting his village was just a bunch of bull!"

"They look pretty chummy to me. I'd say they've been pulling scams like that for a long time."

"He's got some nerve facing us again after pulling a trick like that." Sakura stated, her voice annoying as ever.

"And hiding behind a mask…Who does he think he's fooling?"

I laughed slightly. "Speak for yourself, sensei."

"That's it. I'm taking him out." Sasuke said, his voice full of determination. "Who does he think he's fooling? Hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown."

"Sasuke, you're so cool!" Sakura exclaimed, and I sweat dropped.

The masked person spun around in a whirlwind, heading right for Sasuke. And of course, the Uchiha wasn't gonna back down.

_**Battle on the Bridge!**_

We all watched as Sasuke went up against that masked boy using a Kunai while the boy used a senbon, the both fighting back and forth. Next thing I saw was that kid making hand signs with one hand, and water rising up, turning into needles. Sasuke managed to get out of the way in time and gain the upper hand, landing a good kick to the guys face.

"And he calls us brats! HAH!" I laughed.

"You made a big mistake insulting these ninja and calling them brats. That's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude. He's the best young fighter of the Hidden Leaf Village. And Sakura here is our sharpest mind."

'_Hey! What about me?' _

"Hikari here is one of our second best fighters, and our most observant and strategic member. And last but not least, our number one hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja, is Naruto Uzumaki."

'_You forgot idiotic too…' _

I was so distracted with what else Naruto was, that I didn't even notice Sasuke was in trouble, until I saw him surrounded by weird mirror like things, and that kid walk right inside one. Sensei growled and took off towards Sasuke, only to be stopped by Zabuza. The sound of Sasuke grunting in pain caused me to widen my eyes, realizing that Sasuke was in some serious trouble. His kunai that he had been fighting with earlier came flying out, landing right at me feet. Sakura grabbed it and took off, apologizing to Tazuna quickly. She jumped up into the air and launched it to the mirrors, only that boy managed to catch it.

"He caught it!" Sakura exclaimed in shock, and I shook my head at her stupidity. That's when several ninja stars came flying out of nowhere, hitting that boy and knocking him out of the mirror and onto the ground. A giant thing of smoke appeared, and everyone gave a questioning look at it while I sighed in annoyance. The cloud of smoke disappeared, revealing the idiot.

"Naruto Uzumaki is here! Believe it!"

"I believe it that you're an idiot!" I exclaimed. _'It would've been so much better if he had stayed hidden and attacked instead of making his presence known to the entire world!'_

"Alright, you're history! Shadow Clone jutsu!"

Zabuza launched several ninja stars at him, and I set myself into motion. I ran forward and jumped in front of the big knucklehead, prepared to take the hit if I had to, only that masked boy threw his own weapons at the ninja stars, both canceling each other out. I glared at Naruto. "What the heck are you doing? Are you insane?"

"This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu!" Kakashi-sensei ordered. "The shinobi's art is deception. Always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a single jutsu, one must distract their opponents attention, catch them off balance and out maneuver them. You just turn yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that."

"AH! I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!"

I moved away and sighed, studying the mirrors that had trapped Sasuke. They looked like they were made of ice and crystal, meaning that you couldn't probably get rid of them that easily, so shuriken and Kunai wouldn't be able to break them at all. They would probably just reflect them back. I gasped when I realized that Haku had stepped back inside the mirror and was attacking Sasuke with more throwing needles. He landed on his back with a pained grunt. "Sasuke!"

I noticed that Haku was inside each of the mirror, which would make it hard to decipher where the real one was. _'You would only be able to get him out of the mirrors unless you did a double attack from the inside and outside on each mirror, at the exact same time. To figure out how they work. It's all about position…And Sasuke and Naruto are in the perfect position. That's it.'_

"Hey, Naruto, Sasuke! I think I know-"

"Hey! I snuck in here to save you!"

I mentally screamed when I realized Naruto had somehow managed to get inside with Sasuke, making Sasuke mad. "You're a complete loser! You're a shinobi, think carefully before you move!"

"What the heck's your problem? You should thank me for coming in here to help you!"

"Naruto, if we're both inside here…Grrr! FORGET IT! I've had it with your mistakes!"

"And I've had it with your attitude! Believe it!"

'_Naruto Uzumaki= the most clueless ninja of the Leaf Village.' _

Sasuke stood up. "That's it, I'm gonna destroy these mirrors right now!" Sasuke made several hand signs. "Fire style: Fire Ball jutsu!"

When the flames died down, I piped up. "Well, are they melting? Oh, wait…NO!"

The mirrors lit up and Naruto and Sasuke both screamed, the light clearing just in time for me to see them fall to the ground. I gasped and closed my eyes. _'Damn! C'mon, Kari, think! What can you do? I could use the Uproot Tree Jutsu, but if I do, I can only grab one of them, and I might not have enough chakra to grab the other one. Plus, that Haku kid might be able to stop my attack. Oh, wait…it won't work either way because there aren't any trees around! Grrr! What else can I possibly do?' _I opened my eyes and looked back at the mirrors. _'Okay, so we already know that fire jutsu won't melt them so easily. It takes a lot more heat than that fireball jutsu lets off. Earth style might be effective against it, but if I use any earth style jutsu, I might ruin the bridge…and I don't want to do that. Naruto doesn't understand that shadow clones won't work on those mirrors. He's just using up chakra he could be using for something more effective….I could make a couple of shadow clones as a distraction and make my way inside and get out, but I highly doubt that would even work, and then I'd be trapped inside too. Hm…jumping in from the top and attack could work, but there's probably a mirror up there to, leaving no opening for anyone to get out and in from. Using any ineffective moves is pointless and just a big and unnecessary waste of chakra. Man, trying to decipher what moves to use against this guy while I'm on the outside sure is hard…'_

A scream brought me out of my thoughts, and I realized the mist had thickened. Sakura had screamed, but I couldn't even see her. Trying to run and see what had happened was pointless, and it would just leave me open for surprise attacks, so I just stayed put. More needles hit my two comrades, both of them crying out in pain while I watched helplessly. Sasuke managed to sit up, but Naruto stayed down, needles sticking out form his back. He managed to get back up and run, but more needles came flying at him from behind and he fell back again.

"Naruto!"

He passed out, and I growled slightly. _'This is getting worse and worse…If those two can't stop him soon…they'll be finished off.' _I'm not sure what exactly was going on, but Sasuke grabbed Naruto and moved out of the way before several needles could hit. He put him down and got ready to fight, but the next thing I saw made my heart almost stop. Haku went straight towards Naruto, but Sasuke moved in front of him and took the attack, managing to land a kick to Haku. I saw blood splatter to the ground, and Sasuke fell backwards, Naruto getting up and catching him. I felt my feet moving before I could even think about what I was doing. I knelt down next to them and looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke…"

He had needles sticking out everywhere on his body, and his face was all cut up. He had this sad look on his face. "He…He's still out there. My brother. I promised myself…I'd stay alive…until I killed him. Naruto…don't let your dream die." His hand fell to his side and it became still.

It felt like everything stopped, and memories began coming back to me again.

"_Don't cry…Hikari…Be brave."_

"_Momma, please get up! Please! You've gotta get up!"_

"_Remember to believe in yourself…Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't make your dreams come true…Hikari. Don't let them kill those dreams you have…Don't let someone rip whatever dreams you have away from you."_

"_How can they come true if you're not here with me? I need you here, momma!"_

"_Only you can make those dreams you have a reality…Only you…Don't let someone take away those precious dreams from you."_

"Is this the first time you have seen a friend die in battle? This is part of what it means to be a ninja." Haku said, and Naruto began to shake slightly.

"Shut-up…" Naruto handed Sasuke to me. "I…I hated you too, Sasuke…and yet…" he stopped, and we became shrouded by smoke, at least that's what I thought it was, until it turned red and looked like…chakra.

"N-Naruto?" I asked, and he looked up, and I nearly screamed. His eyes were red, and he looked angry.

"I'm gonna kill you!" He told Haku, standing up, the needles suck in him flying out and his wounds beginning to heal, and his hands began to change to where he had claws. And then he got on all fours and took off towards Haku. He got hit with more needles, but he shook them off and smashed one of the mirrors. A strong wind began to blow around, so hard that it stung a bit. I hugged Sasuke's body to me as if to shield it from the harsh wind. When the amount and strength of Naruto's chakra began to increase, I knew what was about to happen, and something inside me clicked.

"WIND!"

I felt something shield the shattering ice from me and Sasuke and I opened my eyes to see something in front of me, blowing the debris away from us.

'_Did I…did I do that?' _

I noticed that Naruto and Haku had moved off into the mist, and I stayed where I was. I glanced down at Sasuke sadly. "I'm sorry for thinking that you were always a cold person who only thought of yourself higher than everyone else. The way you jumped in front of Naruto like that and taking all those hits…it proved to me that you do care about other people besides yourself. I…I'm sorry that I thought of you like that…Sasuke…I'm truly sorry." I hugged him to me, holding back my tears that I wanted to let free, but it didn't really help that much. Several began to fall and I shook my head, trying to get myself to stop. It didn't help too much, but somewhat, and I decided to distract myself by getting rid of some of the needles that he had stuck in him. I owed him at least that much for him saving my life back in the forest when we were on our way here…

'_I never even got a chance to say thank you to him…' _I shut my eyes and pulled him closer to me.

The sound of someone gasping caught my attention, bringing me to look up to see Mr. Tazuna and Sakura standing before us, Sakura having a look of horror in her eyes, while Mr. Tazuna looked away. Sakura fell to her knees and knelt down in front of us, putting a hand to Sasuke's cheek. "His body's cold. This isn't just one of his genjutsu tricks, is it?" I shook my head my head sadly.

"No…it isn't."

"Go on. You don't need to be brave on my account." Mr. Tazuna said, "Go ahead and let your feelings out, Sakura and Hikari. It's alright."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "No…"

"Did you know there are more than 100 principles of shinobi conduct?" Sakura asked. "I memorized every single one. I used to love it when they tested us on them. Gave me a chance to show how smart I was. I remember so clearly, this one exam. They asked us to explain the twenty-fifth principle. I got it right, of course." She began to cry, and I felt my own eyes beginning to tear up again. "A shinobi never shows his feelings…no matter what the circumstance is. Feelings are a weakness…that only cloud his judgment and weakens his sense of duty."

"Sakura, please stop crying…You're getting tears all over Sasuke's face…" I mumbled, wiping them from his face. Sakura only began to cry harder, and she fell forward, laying her head on his chest and crying out his name. And then I couldn't help it. I started to cry quietly, though I wasn't sobbing like pinkie was. I sniffled quietly, hugging Sasuke closer to me. I wiped my eyes, hoping they would stay tear free.

We all stayed like that for a few minutes, just standing and sitting there. I had my eyes closed to keep tears away, only to open them when I heard some talk. "Sakura…It's hard to breathe with you on top of me."

I looked down to see Sasuke's eyes open, staring at Sakura and then at me. I blinked, and he blinked back, Sakura's crying stopping. "Tazuna…he's alive! ALIVE!" She hugged Sasuke, earning a pained grunt from him.

"Ow…Sakura that hurts."

I sighed and pushed Sakura off of him. "Can't you stop crying for one second? Sheesh, he's alive, so stop crying and be happy." She glared at me and I rolled my eyes, my attention going back to Uchiha, who was attempting to sit up, grunting in pain as he tried. I stopped him, and he looked at me. "Stop moving around or it'll just hurt more than it already does."

"How's Naruto? And what happened to that guy in the mask?"

"Naruto's just fine. But the one-the one in the mask…he's dead." Sakura answered, both me and Sasuke's eyes widening slightly.

"Dead? But how? Did Naruto do it?"

"No, I…I came in late, I'm not sure what happened. He was protecting Zabuza."

"How sad…" I mumbled.

"I had faith in you Sasuke. I knew you'd pull through! You're too cool a guy to stay down for long."

'_This coming from the girl who just sobbed to death about him being dead…'_ I sighed and Sakura stood up, calling to Naruto while I smiled at Sasuke and helped him stand up. "Hey, Sasuke?"

"What?"

"If you weren't hurt right now, I would've already whacked you upside the head for messing around like that." I told him as he lifted an arm up and waved at Naruto. Suddenly, a large group of people looked like they were about to attack us, but they were stopped as an arrow was shot at them, landing at their feet. We all turned around and I grinned and laughed when I saw Inari holding a crossbow in his hands, a helmet on his head while a large group of people stood behind him.

"There's one little thing you're forgetting about: before you set foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!" One man shouted, and everyone else cheered.

"They've all come…the whole village…" Tazuna said happily, tears forming in his eyes.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed, several clones appearing.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Someone else shouted, and at least 100 Kakashi's appeared. "Kakashi style!" All of the enemies ran and jumped onto a boat and left, and Inari smiled.

"VICTORY!"

Everyone cheered, until we all saw Kakashi walk over to Zabuza's body and pull out several swords from his back before picking him up and carrying him over to Haku. Something falling from the sky caused me to look up and gasp. "It's snowing…"

Sensei stopped and laid Zabuza next to Haku's body, moving back to leave them alone. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, rays of sunlight coming out from behind the clouds.

It was sad.

* * *

Kari smiled at her teammates as she stood up from the ground, holding up her creation. "All done! May I please see the sword, sensei?"

Kakashi nodded, handing Kari the large sword. They watched her as she carried the large sword over to the edge of the cliff and stabbed it into the ground behind one of the wooden crosses, placing the wreaths of flowers on the crosses, standing up and smiling at her work before clasping her hands together and bowing her head down.

"Is that really it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as they watched Kari pray.

"Hm?"

"Is that the ninja way? To use and be used by people like tools?"

"Shinobi are all merely tools in the hands of destiny. No point in wondering whether it's right or wrong, it just is. It's the same in the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Well, if you ask me, if that's what being a ninja is all about, something's out of whack." Naruto said, frowning sadly. "Is that why we go through all this training? Just to end up like them?"

"What is the reason for that?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi sighed, "Well, it's a question without an answer, and that is something we ninja have to deal with everyday of our lives. Like Zabuza…and the kid…"

"Haku…" Kari corrected.

"Huh?"

"His name…his name was Haku. I heard Zabuza call him that. If anyone is to remember him, then everyone should remember him as Haku." Kari said, turning around and walking back over to her teammates.

"Ok!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, everyone's attention turning to him. "I've just come to a decision! From now on, I'm finding my own ninja way! A way that's straight and true and without any regrets. From now on, I'm following the way of Naruto!"

Kari stared at him blankly for a minute before smiling, laughing slightly.

'_The way of Naruto, huh? Who knows…maybe it will end up being a great way after all.'_

0o0o0o0o

"We could've never finished the bridge without you! I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you." Tazuna stated to team 7.

"Do be careful!" Tsunami said, smiling at them

Kakashi smiled and thanked them. "Thank you for everything."

"Now, now…don't get all choked up. We'll come back and visit real soon!" Naruto assured.

With a shaky voice, Inari spoke. "You swear you will?"

Kari smiled when she noticed that he was trying not cry. Naruto's eyes began to well up with tears. "Of course. Y'know, Inari, it's alright to cry if you want. There's nothing wrong with that. Go for it!" Naruto encouraged.

"Who says I want to cry? Anyway, if there's nothing wrong with it, then why don't you go on and cry?"

"No…you first!" When none of them cracked, Naruto turned around. "Forget it!" Kari sighed as she watched them both cry, eventually grabbing Naruto and dragging him away, waving goodbye to everyone as they walked onto the bridge and headed home. "Haha! As soon as we get back, I'm gonna let Iruka-sensei fix me up a whole mess of ramen to celebrate a mission accomplished. Oh! And just wait until I tell Konohamaru about all my adventures! The kids gonna worship me!"

Kari glared. "Naruto, don't you dare use my little brother as if he's your little follower or I'll beat you up."

"I-I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!"

"Sasuke, when we get back you wanna go out and do something together?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think so. Thanks."

"Oh, okay…"

"Heh, rejection…" Kari laughed quietly.

It was nice to be going home.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: It was crappy, but at least it was something! Be grateful! Also, leave a review please! LATER TATERS!**


	9. The chunin exam and new rivals

**A new chapter begins! The Chunin exam!**

Naruto ran over to his teammates as they all waited around on the little bridge for the sensei. Naruto smiled and waved as he stopped in front of Sakura. "Hey, good morning, Sakura!" His smile vanished and turned into a glare when he noticed Sasuke, the Uchiha returning the look back. Kari, who was sitting on the railing next to Sasuke while he stood, glanced at him, then at Naruto, until she was glancing back and forth between the two. She sweat dropped when they both turned away from each other.

'_A repeat from yesterday? They've both been like this since we got back from The Land of Waves…They act like 3 year olds…' _

**2 hours later~**

Kari was beginning to nod off, Sasuke was growing impatient, and Sakura and Naruto were getting bored. Finally…

"Hey, guys! Good morning!" Kakashi greeted. "Sorry I'm late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life." Sakura and Naruto yelled angrily while Sasuke sighed and looked away and Kari stared at them like they were stupid.

"I'm ready for the next ninja mission, sensei!" Naruto said, a determined look on his face. "And hey, come on! No more of this dumb beginner stuff, ok? I want a chance to prove myself. I'm talking a real mission where I can show what I'm made of! ARRRGGH, I've gotta break out and burn it up! See?"

"Uh, right, I get it. That's great, Naruto. Now take it easy, would ya?" As soon as the sensei said that, Naruto instantly turned around to glare at Sasuke.

'_Urgh, Sasuke…He's always rescuing everyone on our missions, trying to grab all the glory and make me look like a chump, but he'll never get the edge on me! Today's the day!' _**"BELIEVE IT!"**

"Let us know when you're done fantasizing, Naruto, so we can start the mission, alright?" Kakashi asked.

"Right!"

"Could you not be so annoying Naruto, just for once?"

**First Mission of the day: Pulling weeds**

Kari set another thing of weeds in the pile she had made before grabbing another thing of weeds. She was helping Sasuke with the weeds around the tree, taking the back while he took the front. She eventually picked up all the ones she had pulled and made a pile into, and walked over to Sasuke's side of the tree, setting her pile with his before leaning up against the tree.

Naruto glared at Sasuke from where he was crouched before turning to face the front, rolling up his sleeves. "Well, I'm gonna beat Sasuke anyway!"

**Several minutes later~**

Naruto laughed as he stood next to his large pile of green, Kari shaking her head while Sakura glared and Sasuke smirked. "Hey, you!"

The woman who's yard they had just de-weeded glared at Naruto while he only turned to her and smiled. "Oh, hiya, lady! I got rid of all your weeds! Pretty cool, huh? Uh, what's wrong?"

"You pulled the weeds, and you also pulled up my plants!" She stated angrily, while Naruto frowned in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Those were special herbs I've been growing, and you destroyed them!"

**"AHHHHHH!OOOWWWW! OWWWWWWWWW!"**

**Second Mission of the Day: Picking trash out of the river**

Kari hummed while she picked up another empty soda can from the water and put in the basket strapped onto her back, glancing over at Naruto, who now had a black eye, making sure he was doing okay. When she saw that he was doing fine, she went back to picking out more trash from the water.

"AHH!" Naruto screamed as he slipped and fell backwards, making a loud splash. Kari, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked over at him and gasped when they realized he was headed towards the waterfall. He went over screaming, and Kari and Sakura screamed as well, until they saw Sasuke come back up on his rope with Naruto, Kari sighing in relief while Sakura cheered happily.

**Third Mission of the Day: Dog walking**

"Oh, you're so cute!" Kari exclaimed as she held a puppy in her arms, setting it down and patting its head happily. The sounds of struggling caused her to turn her attention to Naruto, who was being dragged by the dog he was walking.

"H-hey, hey! Not there! We're supposed to go the other way! Urgh! HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU! GAH!"

"What a loser." Sasuke said as they watched the large dog drag the blonde around.

Sakura sighed. "Of course, he just has to pick the biggest dog!"

Kari laughed as the dog continued to drag him. "Stop pulling, would you? You're not supposed to go over there! AHHH! That's not a place for dogs, it's a minefield!"

They watched with wide eyes as small explosions went off and Naruto screamed, before they all sighed, Naruto all burnt up while the dog wagged his tail happily.

0o0o0o0o

"Look at you…You're hopeless, Naruto!" Sakura said as she walked next to the sensei. Kari and Sasuke each had one of Naruto's arms over their shoulders, helping him walk.

Sasuke smirked. "Hm, you really are just one big problem."

Naruto growled and pushed them away, lunging towards the Uchiha. **"URRRRGHHH! SASUKE!"**

He was stopped by Sakura, who slapped him. "If you keep this up, I'll finish you off myself!"

Kari sighed as she continued to walk away with Sasuke. "Like working with a bunch of children…"

Kakashi sighed. "Guess we're not making a lot of progress on the teamwork thing, hmm?"

Naruto pointed at Sasuke. "That's right, our teamwork's all messed up and it's all because of you, Sasuke!" Naruto blamed, "You think you're better than everyone else?"

"Not everyone…just you. Face it: I'm better and stronger than you are. It's a fact." He stopped and turned around to face him. "Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong." Sasuke challenged.

Kari glanced between the both of them worriedly. _'Joy…they're getting along worse than before…' _

"Alright, guys. Let's call it a day." Kakashi said. "You can beat each other to a pulp some other time. Anyway, I have to file my report on this mission."

"I'd stick around and all, but I'm starving so I'm gonna go buy me something to eat." Kari said, waving at everyone and walking off.

"Whatever. I'm out of here." Sasuke said, turning back around and following after Kari.

Sakura gasped and ran after him. "Wait! Sasuke, I'll go with you!" Sasuke stopped, and Kari stopped to look at them. "So, why don't we…I don't know…I mean, you know…Let's do something more personal, I mean to improve our teamwork and all."

"I swear, you're just as bad as Naruto." Sasuke stated, a careless look on his face. "Instead of flirting, why don't you practice your jutsu and make the team stronger. Let's face it; you're actually WORSE than Naruto." Kari had to slap a hand across her mouth to keep herself from laughing, turning around and continuing to walk away, Sasuke walking after her. When they walked around the corner, she took her hand off her mouth and sighed.

"That was pretty harsh, Sasuke…"

"Tch, whatever…"

"As much humor I got out of that, I still have to say that even Pinkie back there didn't deserve that, though she could use some improvement." Kari stated, crossing her arms behind her back as they walked into town. "By the way, Sasuke…"

"What?"

"How come you're following me?"

"I'm not following you, I just happen to be going to the same place you are."

"Uh-huh…Well, I'm gonna go buy me an apple." Kari said, walking off and over to the fruit stand, picking up a nice apple and walking over to the merchant. She reached in her pocket to pull out some money only to move to the other pocket when she realized she had none in that one. She let out a shriek when she couldn't find anything but lint. "Ehehe, um, can you just put it on my tab?"

**"NO MONEY, NO FRUIT!"**

"Here." Someone said, placing some money on the counter. The clerk took it and handed Kari the apple. She glanced at the red fruit for a moment before looking next to her, her eyes widening when she saw it was Sasuke. When he noticed she was staring at him, he frowned. "What?"

"Why'd you do that?"

He shrugged. "You were hungry, right? Wouldn't want the one other person besides me, who's stronger than Naruto and Sakura, dying from hunger."

Kari smiled at him. "I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, Sasuke…" Kari said, taking a bite from the apple.

They walked together in silence, until Sasuke spoke up. "Hey, Hikari?"

"Huh?"

"How come you knew how to climb the tree without using your hands before the rest of us did?"

She gave him a surprised look before taking another bite of her apple and shrugging. "Being the granddaughter of the Hokage can get you lots of special treatment. When I said I wanted to become the best ninja I could ever possibly be, I got private lessons. I'd go to the academy every weekday, and after school I'd go and train with several of the Jonin. Although I'm still not that good at some of the things I learned, I'm still a bit more advanced than everyone else."

"So, does that mean you know some advanced jutsu?"

"Like I'd tell you." Sasuke frowned at her and she laughed. "Seriously, I'm not allowed to say. I could get in some big trouble!"

He smirked. "With who?"

"The Hokage, of course, and my uncles…They'd probably send me evil glares for the rest of their lives…Sorry, Uchiha, but secrets are meant to stay secrets! But…maybe one day you can do something to make me change my mind. Then again, probably not, since you really don't like anyone in particular, and you hate an awful lot of things."

"You're a bit better than Sakura and Naruto, but you're not that great." Sasuke stated, earning a smile from Kari.

"I'll take it that you don't find my very presence and existence terrible, right? Guess that means we can be friends."

"I didn't say that..."

"But you sort of implied it, so you can't take it back. Even if you don't want to be my friend, that doesn't mean I can't consider you my friend."

"Hn, whatever…"

"Jeez, no need to talk so-" She paused mid sentence, her eyes widening slightly and clouding over with worry. "Konohamaru…" Was the last thing Sasuke heard from her before she took off, Sasuke calling after her before taking off after her.

* * *

"Konohamaru!"

"So, does this hurt, punk?"

The blonde girl standing next to him sighed. "Put him down, Kankuro. Or you know you'll pay for it later."

"Hey, I'm sorry." Sakura apologized. "The whole thing was my fault."

"You better take your hands off him right now!" Naruto warned.

"We've got a few minutes before he gets here. Let's mess with these punks."

Konohamaru kicked the kid that held him up by the scarf. "Let go of me you jerk!"

"You're feisty. But not for long…" He tightened his grip, and Naruto ran forward to hit him, only to be knocked backwards

"Ugh, Konohamaru!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey, cut it out! It hurts!" Konohamaru cried.

**"HEY, YOU!"** Sakura and Naruto turned around to see Kari standing a few feet back, an angry look on her face. The kid who was holding up Konohamaru stared at her and she glared harder. **"YEAH, YOU WITH THE FUNNY LOOKING FACE! WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"**

"About to break this scrawny and annoying little brat. What's it to you?"

Konohamaru cried out as the kids grip tightened some more. "Sis! Help!"

She growled and shot forward. **"PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" **Kari screamed, jumping up into the air and landing a kick to his face, the guy dropping Konohamaru. Kari landed on her feet and ran over to him. "Konohamaru!" Kari exclaimed, hugging him. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?"

Konohamaru opened his mouth to say no, but he shouted instead. "Sis! Behind you!"

She didn't get the chance to look because she was grabbed by the collar of her shirt, the same guy who thought it would be fun to nearly choke her brother now holding her up. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you're gonna pay for ruining my fun!"

She glared. "You hurt my little brother like you just did, then you pay."

"Like I care!" He tightened his grip and she whimpered, watching as he lifted his fist and was about to hit her, only to be stopped when something hit his wrist, dropping Kari to the ground. She rubbed her neck as she saw a pebble fall onto the ground, Konohamaru running over to her and hugging her.

"You're a long way from home, and you're way out of your league." Sasuke said, throwing a pebble up and down in his hand while staring down at everyone below. Kari sent him a small smile before hugging Konohamaru back.

"Oh, great…another wimp to tick me off." Kankuro said.

Sasuke stopped throwing the pebble and crushed it, leaving nothing but dust. "Get lost."

While Sakura and Konohamaru's two friends, Moegi and Udon all looked at Sasuke, amazed by him, Konohamaru pointed at Naruto. "How come you're not cool like that?"

Naruto bent down in front of him as he stood next to Kari. "Ah, what do you mean? I could've taken that guy out in two seconds flat!"

"Hey, punk; get down here." Kankuro ordered, earning a cold stare from Sasuke. "You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most: all attitude and nothing to back it up." He pulled the mummy wrapped thing off of his back and looked like he was ready to fight.

"Kankuro…back off." Kari glanced up at the tree, gasping when she noticed that Sasuke wasn't the only one up in it. A boy that was probably the same age her and the rest of her teammates stood upside down on one of the branches, staring down at them, his face expressionless. "You're an embarrassment to our village."

Everyone gasped quietly and the boy who everyone now knew as Kankuro, gave a nervous smile. "Uh, hey, Gaara."

"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?"

"I-I know, I-I mean they challenged us! Heh! They started the whole thing really. See, this is what happened-"

"Shut-up…or I'll kill you."

'_Sheesh, this guy sure is strange…his eyes are full of hate, and…anger. Hmm…'_

The boy looked over at the group, namely at Kari. "I'm sorry, for any trouble he caused." Kari nodded her head, and the boy disappeared into sand and reappeared in front of his two teammates. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games."

"A-alright, sure. I get it." They began to walk off, but Sakura ran forward and called after them.

"Hold on! Hey!"

"What?" The girl asked.

"I can tell from your headband that you've come from the Village Hidden in the Sand. Of course, The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission. So state your purpose! And it better be good."

They turned around. "Really? Have you guys all been living under a rock, or what? You don't know what's going on, do you?" The blonde girl asked, pulling out an I.D. and holding it up. "We have permission. Of course, you're correct. We are hidden sand Genin. Our home is the land of the wind, and we're here for the Chunin exams. Get the picture?"

'_The Chunin exams? Already?'_

"The Chunin exams? What's that?" Naruto asked. "Well, I've never heard of any Chunin exams, believe it."

"Believe me, I do believe it." Kari mumbled.

The girl laughed. "I believe it alright…That you're totally clueless"

"Hey, boss! Those are the exams that every Genin's got to take in order to graduate to being a full on Chunin." Konohamaru explained, Kari patting his head happily.

"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so? I am so there!"

They began to walk away again, but Sasuke stopped them, jumping out from the tree. "Hey, you! Identify yourself."

The girl stopped and turned back around, a smile on her face as she gestured to herself. "You mean me?"

"No, him; The guy with the gourd on his back."

He stopped and turned around. "My name is Gaara, of the desert. I'm curious about you, too. Who are you?"

Sasuke smirked. "I am Sasuke Uchiha." The two stared at each other in silence, until Naruto spoke up.

"Hi there! I bet you're dying to know my name, right?"

"I couldn't care less." With that being said, the three new ninja jumped off and left, leaving poor Naruto behind to doubt himself. He crouched down in front of the younger Sarutobi child.

"Hey, Konohamaru? Do I seem uncool or something?"

Konohamaru smiled. "Well, compared to Sasuke…yeah, you're pretty lame."

"**AHHHH! YOU'RE NOT GONNA SHOW ME UP, SASUKE!"**

"Hn, back off, loser."

**

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**A/N: Lack of reviews makes me feel unstable…please be nice and leave a review!**


	10. Chunin Exams, Here we come!

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while. School started up again last Tuesday, and I've just been a bit bored with this story since there seems to be a lack of feedback. Well, this was crappy, but hopefully someone still enjoys it. **

* * *

"977, 978, 979, 980..." Kari quietly counted as she, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all waited on the bridge for the sensei, who was late once again.

Sakura sighed tiredly before screaming angrily. "Why, why, why? It's always the same! He says the time and we have to wait hours for him!"

"It's not fair!" Naruto agreed.

"What about my feelings? I rushed here so fast, I didn't even have time to blow dry my hair!"

"And I didn't even have time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!" Naruto exclaimed, Sakura looking at him disgust.

"You, uh, didn't? That's really disgusting, Naruto…"

'_First thing in the morning and they're already driving me nuts…' _Sasuke mentally said, a frown on his face as he ignored Sakura and Naruto, listening as Kari continued to count.

"995, 996, 997, 998, 999, 1000!" Kari exclaimed right when the sensei appeared.

"Hey, good morning everyone. Sorry I'm late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life."

Sakura, Naruto, and Kari all glared at him, the three of them pointing at him accusingly. **"YOU LIAR!"**

He jumped down from where he had been perched, landing in front of them. "I know this is a but sudden, but I recommended you for the Chunin exams. All four of you." He dug out four slips of paper from his pocket and held them out to the four. "These are the application forms."

"Application forms?"

"You're repeating me, Sakura. This is all voluntary. It's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait till next year."

"All right!" Naruto exclaimed, running towards Kakashi and latching himself on him. "Kakashi-sensei, you rock!"

"Don't slobber on my vest!" Kakashi exclaimed, setting Naruto down and handing him an application form. "Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come directly to room 301 at the academy. It's at 3 P.M, five days from now. That's it."

Naruto laughed happily. "Chunin exams. Chunin exams!" He stared at his paper as they walked off towards town. "Hm…Chunin exams. I'll be up against a lot of really wicked ninja!" _'Like the guy with the mummy on his back, and of course, Mr. attitude….If I come out on top, I'll be Hokage in no time. Hehehehe!'_

'_I hope I get the chance to fight that guy from the sand village…' _Sasuke mentally thought, smirking slightly.

'_That jerk who thinks it's funny to beat up on girls and little kids is mine. I'll kick his butt into next year if I get to fight him. Then he'll know the wrath of Hikari Sarutobi!'_

Sakura stopped, the others continuing to walk. She frowned. _'This is hopeless….I can't keep up with Sasuke and Kari. I can't even beat Naruto! I'll never pass these exams…'_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**The next day~**

Kari was in the woods, practicing some techniques, when the sound of someone laughing caused her to stop and pull a kunai from her pouch. She frowned. "If you're trying to keep your presence unknown, you kind of gave it away when you laughed. Now, unless you'd rather end up with a bunch of shuriken and kunai stuck in you, I suggest you show yourself."

A sinister looking man walked out from behind the bushes, a hat on his head. "You must be training for the Chunin exams. With your skills you have now, you'll never make it!"

Kari frowned. "Who asked you for an opinion? No one, so why don't you go and try to discourage someone else?"

He laughed. "Because, it's fun to mess with Genin like you."

"Okay, you're really starting to tick me off!" Kari performed several hand signs quickly. "Earth style: Uproot tree jutsu!" Roots shot out from the ground and wrapped around the mystery man, holding him there. Kari walked forward and stared up at him in the eye, smirking slightly. "I'm hurt that you would think I wouldn't be able to make it to Chunin level. I have skills that can match up to Jonin level, and even you know that…Iruka-sensei."

The man smirked. "We'll just see how you fare." With that, he poofed away, the tree roots retreating back into the ground, Kari still smirking before she walked out of the woods and back home.

Nothing was going to hold her back now.

**

* * *

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**Friday~**

I frowned as I jumped up and down, trying to see what the heck was going on that was making the crowd so large. The sound of someone being hit and grunting caught my attention. Next thing I see is a girl who looked to be about a year older than me try and get these two guys let her through, only to be hit by one of them.

One person mumbled they were being a bit too harsh, and one of them laughed. "Did you say harsh? Don't kid yourself. We're being nice by comparison! The exams are gonna make this look like a picnic."

The guy standing next to him smirked. "Some of you won't survive the exams, others will be wrecked for life, and some of you may go crazy. For Chunin, it's always life or death."

"You think it's a joke? Chunin are qualified to lead missions. The lives of your squad members are in your hands, so you better be tough enough to take the heat. Delicate little girls don't belong here." The one from before said, looking at me as he said this, causing me to glare.

"We're just pinning out the herd. You won't pass anyway, so go home and play with your dolls!"

"Real nice speech. Now both of you step aside and let me through." Sasuke ordered, walking forward. "Oh…And while you two are at it, reverse the genjutsu All of us can see through it anyway. We're going to the third floor."

"Well, well…"

"So, you noticed the genjutsu, huh?"

I smirked. "Well, duh! I mean, you two did an awfully poor job at it. This is only the second floor after all."

"Well, aren't we the smart ones? So you noticed an illusion…Now, let's see you deal with this!" He made the move to kick Sasuke, Sasuke doing the same, only to be stopped by a kid with a bowl cut hair style and extremely bushy eyebrows, the kid managing to stop both their kicks with his own hands. He dropped both of their legs, and the one that had initiated to attacking Sasuke first flipped back. I sent him a glare and shook my head, looking over at the other one. When everyone was too busy paying attention to what had just happened, I grabbed both of them by the backs of their shirts and dragged them inside the room they had used the genjutsu on, crossing my arms across my chest and glaring at the both of them while they grinned.

"Hehe, smart and observant as ever, Kari!"

"Yeah, you totally rock at stuff like that!"

I whacked the both of them on top the head, earning pained shouts from them both.

"You blockheads! What the heck are you doing here Izumo and Kotetsu?" I asked with a frown, before they grinned and I couldn't help but smile. "You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

Izumo scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, but we're not permitted to. Just like you're not allowed to tell anyone you saw us!"

I sighed. "Fine, but the only way you're gonna make me keep my mouth shut is by buying me a bowl of ramen!"

Kotetsu scoffed. "You're too nice to do that."

"Hey, guys, guess who these-" I was cut off by Izumo putting a hand over my mouth.

"Okay, okay! I'll buy you a bowl of ramen when you get done with the exams, okay?"

I grinned and nodded, pretending to zip my mouth. "My lips are sealed! Oh, and Kotetsu?"

"What?"

"You look funny as a kid." I ran out quickly to my friends just as they were walking off, before I could be yelled at.

* * *

As the four made their way to the third floor, someone stopped them. "Hey, you. With the attitude. Hold on!"

The four turned around to see the kid with the bowl cut and bushy eyebrows staring down at them.

Sasuke frowned. "What do you want?"

"I want to fight. Right here and right now."

"You wanna fight me here and now, huh?"

"Yes." He leaped over the railing and landed on the floor below on both of his feet. He pointed at himself. "I am Rock Lee. You said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first, right….Sasuke Uchiha?"

"So, you know me?"

Lee got into a stance. "I challenge you! Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan, and how great they are. I want to see if it's true. I figure you will be a good test for me. And also…" He paused, glancing over at Sakura, who shivered slightly as he did. Lee's cheeks turned pink. "Oh, Sakura! I love you!"

Sakura screamed, and Kari stared at her in shock. **"THOSE EYEBROWS CAN'T BE REAL! NOOO!** Your hairstyle is horrible too, and those eyebrows are so bushy…**YOU'RE SUCH A WEIRDO!"**

Lee acted as if he hadn't even heard her. "You are an angel, sent from heaven." He blew her kisses, and she screamed, running around as he continued, falling onto her head and groaning.

"You've heard of the Uchiha clan, yet you're challenging me? You must be even more psycho than you look, if that's possible. You wanna know more about my clan? Then I'll teach you….the hard way."

Kari frowned slightly at the Uchiha, while Lee smirked slightly. "Bring it on."

"**HOLD IT!"** Naruto exclaimed, everyone looking over at him in curiosity. "I get him first. This weirdo is mine."

Kari opened her mouth to object, but Sasuke beat her to it. "Go for it."

"Naruto…" Sakura growled.

"What? It'll take me 2 minutes to have this guy begging for mercy."

"No thank you. The only I want to fight is Uchiha." Lee said, declining Naruto's offer.

"Yeah? Well, I've got news for you!" Naruto exclaimed, running forward. "Sasuke can't compare to me, believe it!"

In ten seconds flat, Naruto was spun around into the wall and down for the count, Kari staring in surprise. _'Man! He took out Naruto as if he were just a fly! This guy is the real deal…'_

"Just accept it. You have no chance against me, your skills are inferior. You see, Sasuke, out of all the top Leaf Genin, I am the best. Fight me, and I will prove it to you."

Sasuke seemed to think for a moment before a small smirk appeared on his face. "Hn, this'll be fun. Let's do it."

"There's no time, Sasuke! We've got to register by 3:00, that's less than half an hour." Sakura said, a worried frown on her face.

"She's right. If we don't hurry, we won't be able to-" Kari said, only to be stopped by Sasuke.

"Relax, this'll all be over….in 5 seconds."

'_Why do I get the feeling that it won't be?' _Her feeling was right, because Lee was the first one to get a hit in on Sasuke. Sakura cried out in shock, while Kari's mouth just hung open. Kari closed her mouth and frowned. _'No way! He managed to even hit him when he blocked the attack! Lee went right through it!' _Kari's attention drifted to Lee's arms as he began to say something, her eyes narrowing slightly. _'Of course…he's not using genjutsu or ninjustu, but taijutsu…Hm.'_

Sasuke stood back up, a smirk making its way onto his face. "I've been waiting to try this out."

Kari frowned slightly, before she silently gasped. _'Does he mean…' _Sasuke looked up, his eyes red, and Kari grinned. _'So, he has the Sharingan too…looks like this is about to get even more interesting. Either way, Sasuke has the upper hand now, no doubt about it. There's no way he can lose to Lee now!' _Right as she thought that, Lee kicked Sasuke up in the jaw, sending the Uchiha up into the air, leaving Sakura and Kari staring at him wide eyed.

"You see…my technique is not ninjustu or genjutsu." Lee stated, running forward and towards Sasuke, both of them engaging in combat once more, Lee managing to get in all the hits. "You get it now? I am using taijutsu, that means no tricks, Sasuke." He disappeared quickly, and appeared behind the Uchiha. "It is just straight martial arts, nothing more."

"Why you-!" Sasuke made the move to hit him the stomach, only to have Lee dodge it. The next thing Kari knew, Lee and Sasuke were up in the air. The bandages on Lee's arms came undone, as if he were preparing to make some sort of attack, only to have them stopped by a pinwheel shuriken, everyone's attention turning over to the door, a giant tortoise standing there and frowning.

"Alright, that's enough! Lee…" The tortoise said, pulling back the boy by his bandages, causing Lee to release Sasuke, who began falling down towards the floor.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed, and Kari ran forward and caught him, falling to her knees and sliding across the room slightly, causing Kari to grunt. She helped Sasuke sit up, frowning at him slightly when he didn't even speak to her.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" No reply. "Sasuke, answer me! Are you alright?" he ignored her, continuing to glare ahead at Lee while the boy talked with the tortoise. _'He's just mad because he lost…'_

"Hey, you guys!" Naruto exclaimed, running over to the group.

"What, Naruto?" Sakura asked, Naruto pointing over to Lee.

"That weird thing he's talking to is a turtle, right?"

"Obviously! What'd you think it is?"

"Okay then. Well, maybe it means that turtles can be sensei too."

"**HOW WOULD I KNOW IF THEY CAN BE SENSEI TOO?"**

Naruto frowned and looked down at Kari. "Kari, can turtles be sensei?"

Kari looked at him and sighed. "Naruto, I don't even know…"

A giant puff of smoke coming from the turtles back drew their attention to it, someone appearing on the turtles back, even more freaky looking then Lee, and striking a very disturbing pose. Naruto, Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura all staring wide eyed and disturbed, Naruto the first one to point out the most disturbing fact. "He's got the biggest eyebrows yet! They're almost alike!"

The man grinned, gesturing to himself. "Hi, Lee!"

"Too weird…." Sakura stated.

"So that's where Lee gets it from! Same soup bowl haircut, and even BUSHIER eyebrows."

Lee whipped around and shot a glare at Naruto. "HEY! Do not insult Guy-sensei! He is one of the greatest men in the entire world!"

"**WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT NOTICING HIS GREATNESS! I WAS TOO BUSY WATCHING HIM CRAWL OUT FROM UNDERNEATH A TURTLE!" **Naruto screamed, anger clear on his face.

"**HE DID NOT 'CRAWL' OUT!" **Lee shouted back, getting ready to say more, only to have Guy-sensei stop him.

"Give it a rest, Lee."

Lee turned back to face him and nodded. "Yes sir…."

"Now, for your punishment! HAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" He punched Lee and sent him flying. "You little fool!"

Lee landed with a thud, and Guy walked over to him and knelt down in front of him, apologizing for having to hit him, and before Kari could really process what was really going, the two began to cry, Lee hugging his sensei, team 7 making sounds of disgust, while Sasuke remained quiet, though still disgusted as he mentally asked him self a question. _'How could I lose to someone that lame?'_

Eventually Naruto turned away and looked at his teammates. "Actually, it's kind of sweet, the way they're huggy and stuff."

"HUH? You've gotta be kidding, they're both totally crazy!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Ugh…I think I've never been so disturbed…in my entire life…" Kari stated, looking somewhat sick.

Guy looked over at them and Sakura freaked out. **"AH! NO! HE'S LOOKING OVER AT US!"**

"Tell me: How is Kakashi-sensei?"

"Do you know him?" Sasuke asked, frowning slightly.

"Do I know Kakashi?" He repeated, laughing slightly. "Well, people say he and I are arch rivals for all eternity."

"**THERE'S JUST NO WAY!"** Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison.

"How dare you! If Guy-sensei says it is true, then-"

"Let it slide, Lee. A ninjas actions always speak louder than words."

Kari sighed. "I don't think I can take much more of this. I'm leaving!" She exclaimed, beginning to walk off, her teammates eventually calling after her to come back, only to have her brush them off. Eventually, they managed to catch up with her, all of them walking until they stopped in front of room 301, all of them staring at the person blocking their entrance.

"Glad you came, Sakura. For your sake, and the others." Kakashi said as he stared at his four students. "Now, you can all formally register for the Chunin exam."

"Why? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, the others nodding in agreement.

"You see, only groups of three, or in this case, four, are allowed to apply for and take the exam. That's the way it's always been."

"But didn't you say the decision to take the exam was up to the individual?" Kari inquired.

"That's right, I did."

"W-was that a lie?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked off to the side. "Sort of. It is an individual decision, but it affects all of you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the other guys pressuring you. At the same time, I didn't want you feeling obliged to participate because of any feelings you might have for Sasuke or Naruto. I wanted you to come to a decision of your own free will.

"Wait a minute…Do you mean if the others had shown up, but I decided not to come with them-"

"It would've been the end of the line, if you hadn't come along. I couldn't have let the others in. But it's a moot point. You're all here and for the right reasons." Kakashi said, a smiling slightly. "Sakura…Naruto…Hikari…and Sasuke…I'm proud of you. Couldn't ask for a better team." He moved aside so they could get to the doors. "Good luck."

"We won't let you down sensei! Believe it!" Naruto assured as they moved over to the doors and pushed them open and walking inside, all of them eagerly wondering what awaited them.

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**A/N: Leave a review and I shall you give you a cookie ^_^!**


	11. The Chunin Exam Begins!

**A/N: Well, thanks to all of you that reviewed last chapter! COOKIES FOR ALL OF YOU *throws cookies* Ahaha, I have to take two semester finals tomorrow, math and English. Let us all pray that I do not fail math, or it's bye bye fan fiction for a while O-o…Anyway, please do enjoy this chapter that I'm writing while I study!**

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**Start your engines! The Chunin Exam Begins!**

"Wh-what's this?" Naruto stuttered as he stared at the sight in front of him.

Sakura gulped loudly. "Gee, I guess…we're not alone. Man…I had no idea there'd be this much competition."

Kari sent a glare at all the competition as they glared at them, eventually gulping loudly when their glares seemed to harden, causing her to back down. As tempted as she was to yell at them for staring at them like that, she'd decided that she appreciated her life and would rather have it taken by dying an honorable death instead of by the hands of punks like these. Besides…they looked pretty scary. And rarely, and only rarely, did Kari ever get intimidated.

**"MOVE!"** Someone screamed, pushing Kari out of the way and flat onto her back. "Sasuke, where've you been?" Kari glanced up and glared as she stared at Ino, who had latched herself onto Sasuke's back. "Boy, you have no idea how much I was hoping you would show up here. I've missed those groovy good looks of yours!"

While Sakura and Ino began to argue over who Sasuke belonged to, Kari remained on the floor, sighing when no one even seemed to notice her there. The sound of more footsteps approaching caused her to look over to her other side, where she saw Choji and Shikamaru. "Oh, it's you guys. I knew this was gonna be a drag, but I didn't know it was gonna be this lame."

"So, all three stooges are here." Naruto stated.

"Hey, you know what, pipsqueak? Ah, forget it, you're a waste of time." Shikamaru said, backing off and turning his attention to the floor, sighing when he noticed Kari lying on it. "Geez, Kari, you sure are a klutz. Now you just wasted my time by making me help you up." He mumbled, helping her up to her feet.

_**Shikamaru Nara- Always complaining, never does anything about it. Laziest bum anyone's ever met**._

"Nice to see you too, Shikamaru…" She mumbled sarcastically. She turned her attention to Choji and waved at him while he stuffed his face with potato chips.

_**Choji Akimichi- Choji is an okay guy, cept for the fact that every time I see him, he's always munching on something, but he's pretty nice most of the time, unless you call him the "f" word (AKA-Fat…)**_

Ino smirked at Sakura. "Sorry, but Sasuke's all mine." She pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at Sakura.

_**Ino Yamanaka- She beats Sakura in the level of annoying. She always whines when she never gets her way, and she's rude to people too. Just another brat fan of Sasuke's…**_

"Well, well, what do you know?" Someone said, wrapping their arms around Kari's shoulders. "It looks like the whole gang's back together again." Kiba stated, flashing a smile at Kari. "Hey, Kari. Looking as beautiful as ever I see."

Kari laughed nervously. "Ehehe, hi…"

_**Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru- Ok, so Kiba's one of those types of people I really don't like; He thinks he's better than everyone else. But he's actually a pretty cool person, and I've known him since we were children. He's a big flirt, and well…I sort of think he's cute, but I'm not interested enough in him at the moment to pursue those feelings, and he's pretty rude and cocky sometimes. **_

"Hi, Naruto…" Hinata mumbled, causing the blonde to look at her, making her blush.

_**Hinata Hyuga- A very quiet, and shy person, yet she's actually very sweet. The nicer thing about her is that she's not someone who obsesses over Sasuke like practically every other girl does. And lastly, there's Shino Aburame- Well…he's kind of weird. He never really talks a lot, so I probably shouldn't be one to judge, though everyone else thinks that he is an odd character.**_

"You guys too, huh?" Shikamaru asked. "Man, everyone's here for this stupid thing."

"Yup! Here we all are, the 10 rookies. This is gonna be fun! At least, for those of us good enough to make the cut. Right, Sasuke?" Kiba asked, his arm still slung across Kari's shoulders, while she simply glared at him.

Sasuke smirked. "Kiba, careful you don't get over confident."

"Just wait. We're gonna blow you guys away! We've been training like crazy."

"What do you think we've been doing? Sitting around and picking daisies? You don't know what training means!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at Kiba.

"Oh, don't mind Kiba. I'm sure he really didn't mean anything by it." Hinata said, hoping to calm Naruto.

Kiba smirked down at Kari. "So, Kari, you doing anything later? If not, you wanna go grab a bite to eat or something?"

Kari blushed slightly, laughing nervously. "Sorry, but I have plans already." She moved out from under his arm and back over to her teammates, moving to stand next to Sasuke, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, you guys!" someone shouted. A silver haired man wearing glasses approached the ten. "You might wanna try keeping it down a little. I mean, no offence, but you're the 10 rookies, right? Fresh out of the academy. I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. Just cool it. This isn't a class field trip."

"Well, who asked you? Who are you?" Ino exclaimed.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Look around you," He ordered, everyone glancing at the other people in the room, Kari squeaking slightly when she noticed their glares intensified even more, causing her to move to stand behind Sasuke. "You've made quite an impression." Kabuto stated, before gesturing over to a small group of ninja. "See those guys; they're from the rain village, very touchy. They all are. This exam makes everyone tense, and you don't wanna rub them the wrong way right now."

"Gghh…" Kari mumbled.

"You can't help it. I mean, how could you know how things work, you're just rookies. You remind me of myself awhile back." Kabuto said, smiling slightly.

This piqued Kari's interests. "Wait, are you saying that this isn't the first time you've taken the exam?"

Kabuto smiled sheepishly. "No, it's…my 7th."Shikamaru made a surprised noise, and Kabuto scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, they're held twice a year, so this will be my fourth year."

"Wow, a veteran! You must really be an expert by now." Sakura said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, sort of."

"Cool, you can give us all the inside tips!" Naruto stated.

"Yeah, some expert. He's never passed." Shikamaru pointed out, causing Kabuto to smile sheepishly.

"Well, seventh times the charm, that's what they say, huh?"

Shikamaru seemed to get a somewhat tired look on his face. "So I guess all those rumors about the exam being tough were true. Oh, man! I knew this was gonna be a drag."

"Hang on, don't give up hope yet. Maybe I can help you kids out a little." Kabuto said, pulling out a giant stack of cards from his pocket. "With my ninja info cards."

"What the heck are those?" Sakura and Kari both asked him at the same time.

"It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years. I've got more than 200 of them." Kabuto explained as he knelt down and set the stack on the ground. "So you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time. They may not look like much to the naked eye. In fact, they appear blank." Kabuto said, flipping the card over to show them. "Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff."

"What're you doing?" Kari asked curiously as Kabuto began to spin the card around with his finger.

"You see, I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets. Like this for example." He made a hand sign and the back of the card revealed a map.

"Awesome! A map!" Ino exclaimed, before frowning. "Of what?"

"It shows all the geographical distribution of candidates that have come to take the exam, what villages they come from and how many from each village. Why do you think they all come here and take the exam together at the same time?"

"Er…Why?" Kari asked, breaking the silence.

"It's to foster friendship between nations, of course! International brotherhood and all that, and it's true enough as far as it goes."

"But there's another reason." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, you see, the important thing is that this way they can carefully regulate the total number of shinobi that end up in each village, thereby maintaining the balance of power."

"Oh yeah…balance of power…hmm…" Naruto mumbled, frowning slightly.

"Balance of power, big deal, it's all a drag." Shikamaru said, and Kari sweat dropped.

"If the balance isn't maintained, then one nation can wind up with many more shinobi than its neighbors, and it might be tempted to attack them." Kabuto explained, Shikamaru's face turning into one of realization. "So, they try to maintain the status quo. Makes sense…I suppose."

"Hn, do those cards of yours have any info on the candidates…individually?" Sasuke asked, adding in the last part with a smirk.

Kabuto gave him his own smirk. "They might…You have someone special in mind?"

"I might."

"Well, I can't promise my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something just about everyone. Including you guys, of course. So, which one is it? Tell me anything you know about them, a description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all."

"He's Gaara of the Desert, and there's Rock Lee of the Leaf Village, while you're at it." Sasuke said, Kari's eyes widening as he mentioned the sand village boy.

'_Sasuke isn't actually thinking about taking on that Gaara guy? He looked like he was gonna eat us the other day! Ugh, this stinks…'_

"Here they are." Kabuto said as soon as he found the two requested cards.

"Show them to me." Sasuke ordered.

"Okay, first up is Rock Lee. Looks like he's about a year older than you guys. Mission experience: 11 C Ranks and 20 D Ranks. His squad leader is Guy. In the last 12 months, his taijutsu has erratically improved, but his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year he got a lot of a lot of attention as a Genin, but for some reason, he chose not to participate in the Chunin exam. This'll be his first time as a candidate, same as you guys. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga."

'_This is boring, having to listen to this guy inform us on people that only Sasuke is interested in fighting…'_

"Okay, next is Gaara of the Desert. Mission experience: 8 C Ranks and…get this; 1 B Rank as a Genin! There's not a lot more information on this guy. He was a rookie from another land originally, but there is this. He survived every mission, without getting a scratch on him."

"The dudes done a B Rank as Genin? And has never even been injured!" Shikamaru exclaimed, unable to believe it.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Naruto asked.

'_I can tell you what's with him: He's bad news, that's what, and there's something not right about him…not right at all.'_

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound. From the looks of it, they've all sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the exams this time around. Of course, the Hidden Sound Village is small. It sprang up recently and no one knows anything about it. Those guys are a mystery. Well, you get the point." Kabuto said, putting his cards back in a stack and smiling at them slightly. "The competition's going to be intense this year."

"So it would seem…" Hinata said quietly, almost sounding somewhat worried. "It's almost enough to make you lose your confidence."

"It's a fine time to start talking like that!" Ino exclaimed sarcastically, sending a glare at Hinata.

"Do…you really think it's going to be tougher this time?" Sakura asked.

"Oh yeah…In the four years I've been coming, I've never seen a crop of candidates with as much potential as this one. Yep. We've got our work cut out for us."

Kari sighed, crossing her arms across her chest and getting a thoughtful look on her face. _'Ok, the way that I see it, all ten of us are just rookies, while pretty much everyone else here is both bigger and older than us, and have more experience at things than we do…Gah, what am I doing thinking like this? I'm not scared, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to become a Chunin…I'm not scared, and it's not like were gonna die…'_

Naruto yelling and pointing to the people staring caught her attention and brought her back from her thoughts. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna beat every one of ya! Believe it!"

'_I take back what I said about not dying…But I can't really blame him though. It must feel a lot better being able to say that to everyone around….though the way everyone is staring at us now is making feel like going and hiding under a rock…Naruto can be so stupid! Oh, now they look even angrier! **AGGGH! WAY TO GO IDIOT! IF SAKURA WASN'T BEATING THE SNOT OF YOU RIGHT NOW, I WOULD-' **_Kari paused mid mental rant as the sound of someone jumping into the air and pulling out kunai reached her ears, her eyes widening when she saw someone doing just that, aiming the kunai at Kabuto, who managed to jump out of the way in time.

Another ninja jumped in front of him, this guy wearing some type of furry thing on his back. He made the move to hit Kabuto, the silver haired man managing to dodge each of the swings easily, a smirk growing on his face. _'Woah…'_

'_He's almost as quick as me.' _Sasuke thought with a smirk.

The sound of glass shattering caused Kari and the others to gasp as they saw Kabuto's glasses crack, pieces of glass falling to the floor. "But…didn't he just…"

"Hang on, I saw it all. He dodged the attack." Sasuke stated, Kari nodding with him in agreement. "How did that happen?"

"It must've come closer than it looked. Tch! Look at him acting like it was nothing. Real tough guy." Shikamaru scoffed.

Before anyone else could say anything, Kabuto collapsed, coughing up a bit of blood and causing everyone's eyes to widen. Kari grimaced and turned away, her stomach feeling a little uneasy. She glanced at the Genin that had attacked Kabuto, her eyes narrowing when she noticed the symbol on their headbands. _'Sound ninja…How did that guy even manage to get a hit to Kabuto? He dodged their attacks…right?'_

The sound of a smoke bomb going off at the front of the room diverted everyone's attention to the front. "All right you baby faced, degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" Someone yelled, and Kari flinched slightly at the rough tone of the persons tone. When the smoke cleared, she nearly screamed when she saw who the owner of the voice belonged to and several familiar faces standing behind him. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor, and from this moment…your worst enemy."

'_Not Ibiki…' _Kari mentally whined.

"First," Ibiki began pointing over to the three Sound ninja, "You candidates from the village hidden in the sound: Knock it off! Who told you you could fight? You wanna be failed before we've even begun?"

The one who had managed to ruin Kabuto's glasses spoke up. "Sorry, it's our first time. Guess we're a little jumpy, sir."

Ibiki smirked slightly before his face became serious. "I'll say this once, so listen up! There will be no combat between candidates, no attacking each other without the permission of your proctor, and even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited! Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?"

The Sound ninja that had thrown the Kunai at Kabuto smirked. "No fatal force? That's no fun."

The other proctors slightly chuckled at this, Ibiki not bothering to join in with them. "Now, if we're ready, we'll proceed to the first stage of the Chunin exam. Hand over your paperwork. In return, you'll each be given a number. This number determines where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated."

"The what?" Naruto asked. "Did he say…_written_?" Kotetsu smirked, waving the sheets of paper around slightly, and Naruto lost it. "**NOOOOOOO**! Not a written test! **NO WAY**!"

"Kotetsu, you're so mean…" Kari mumbled as she took a piece of paper from Izumo after handing in her paperwork. She scowled up at him. "Just because you should love me enough to feel bad for me having to sit through a written test, you owe me more than just one bowl of ramen."

He laughed slightly and pushed her out of the way gently, pointing over to where she was supposed to go. Her seat was practically all the way in the back, seat 72 to be exact. She sat down and sighed, her face one of boredom, until someone came and sat down next to her.

"Are you good at written tests?" It was Sasuke who was seated next to her on her left, number 71.

She glanced at him and gave a nod. "I guess…I always made the best grades on tests back at the academy…" _'Cept we had Iruka-sensei, and not Ibiki…knowing him, whatever he gives us will make people cry…'_

After everyone was seated, their attention turned towards the front. "All right, eyes front. There are a few rules you need to be aware of, and I won't answer any questions so you better pay attention the first time around."

'_Such a stupid rule…' _

Ibiki began writing down the rules on the chalkboard. "All right, rule number one is this: The written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you all begin the test with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong, so if you miss three, your final score will be seven."

'_And if I miss ten, my final score will be zero.' _Naruto mentally told himself.

"Rule number two: teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all the members."

People gasped and Sakura slammed her head on the desk before sitting up and yelling. "**WHAT**? Wait a second! You're saying we all get scored as a team?"

"Duh, he just said it…" Kari mumbled quietly.

**"SILENCE!"** Ibiki yelled at Sakura. "I have my reasons, so shut-up and listen. Rule number three: the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprits score. Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp, and if they catch you five times you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored. Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here. If you wanna be considered shinobi, then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be."

'_Okay, so even though Naruto has a very likely chance at bombing this test, Sasuke, Sakura, and I should do fine enough to pass us all…' _

"One more thing: if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails."

Kari whimpered and slammed her head down onto the desk, groaning. "We're doomed…"

"The final question won't be given out until 15 minutes before the end of the testing period. You'll have one hour. **BEGIN!"**

'_Okay, focus, Sakura, focus! This is where you show your stuff. Just don't blow it, Naruto! Get at least one of them right!' _Sakura mentally said

'_Tch! Oh, man…this doesn't look good. He's just sitting there. He's gonna choke!' _Sasuke mentally stated, glaring at Naruto.

'_C'mon, Naruto…don't screw this up…' _Kari encouraged, frowning slightly.

Naruto grinned widely, mentally laughing. _'What am I worried about? It's just a test! I've done a lot harder things. Believe it! All I've gotta do is relax and just take my time. Read through all the questions and find the ones I have a chance of answering. No pressure. Okay, number 1...Oh, I see! I've gotta decipher a code. Okay! Mhmm!' _He put his pencil to his paper, stopping before bothering to write anything. _'Ok, forget that one! What's next?'_

'_Line B in the diagram indicates the trajectory of a shuriken thrown at enemy C by ninja A seated atop a tree 7 meters tall. Describe and formulate the trajectory required if C were positioned at points D, E, and F. Also predict the farthest possible range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer.'_ Sasuke frowned as he silently read the question, glancing over at Kari as she stared at her own paper.

'_What. The. Hell? This stuff is advanced beyond comprehension! I mean, I know that I can do this sort of stuff pretty well, but Naruto? Forget passing, because the poor guy doesn't even stand a chance! And each problem just gets harder and harder to figure out! And now that I think about it, I don't even think I can understand any of this crap! **DAMN YOU IBIKI! DAMN YOU AND YOUR STUPID TESTS! NONE OF THIS STUFF EVEN MAKES ANY SENSE!**' _She glanced over at Izumo, who was smirking at her slightly, causing her to give him an angry glare. _'You owe me big time….'_

Sasuke glanced around the room. _'It's strange…they make more of a fuss about cheating than they do about the test itself. These sentinels… watching our every move, trying to catch one of-' _Sasuke stopped his mental thoughts as he saw one of the sentinels write down a name. _'Somebody just got nailed. That's another thing…why only a two point deduction? Doesn't make sense…ordinarily, if someone is caught cheating even once, that's grounds for dismissal right there…' _As soon as this thought hit him, he gasped quietly in realization. _'So, that's it? Yeah, that's gotta be it. This is about more than the written exam. The real aim is not to test our knowledge, but our ability to gather information. Yeah, that explains everything…' _

Kari smirked slightly as the same realization hit her. _'Hmph…Ibiki isn't forbidding us from cheating. He's expecting us to. He wants us to try and get away with it without getting caught in the act of it. After all, a ninja must see through deception, and that's what the real test here is. Being able to get the answers without getting caught! Judging by the amount of people actually beginning to write down stuff now, I'd guess that most of everyone has figured it out. Question is…who's got all the answers, and how to get them without being seen?' _She tapped her chin thoughtfully with her pencil, before she smiled slightly. _'I think I've got it!' _

Kari raised her hand, Ibiki looking at her. "What?"

"Um, Ibiki-sensei, is there any chance that you can open the window? It's kinda hot in here, and it makes it hard to concentrate…" Kari said, giving him a hopeful smile, one that did not show her real intentions on asking him to open the window.

He sighed and walked over to the window closest to where she was seated and opened it before moving back to the front of the room. Kari looked back down to her paper and smiled slightly. _'Let's just hope this works…Okay, if anyone that's in the tree can hear me, one of you fly down and land on the window sill and chirp! Quietly, please!' _Kari glanced back over at the window, her smile widening when she saw a small little sparrow sitting there. It gave a small and quiet chirp. _'Fly up to the ceiling beams and quietly fly over head to see if you can find someone who has the answer to number 1. Communicate quietly, or Ibiki and the sentinels might throw something at you to get you out and close the window.' _

The little sparrow did as Kari had mentally ordered it, flying over head as silent as possible, before landing on a ceiling beam and staring down at someone's paper, finding someone and reading the answer before flying back to the beam above Kari. The little bird gave a silent chirp that only Kari had been able to hear. She smirked as she wrote down the answer, the sound of rapid writing catching her attention. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, following the pen movement of the person seated in front of him, a smirk on his face. _'Heh, not bad, Sasuke…not bad. Hey, little guy!' _Kari mentally said to the little bird. '_Look down at Sasuke's paper from now on, 'kay?'_

After several more minutes and quiet chirps later, Kari finally finished cheating off of Sasuke's paper, setting her pencil down once she was done. She dismissed the little bird, thanking it as it flew out of the window as quietly as it had entered, no one even noticing. Kari laughed mentally. _'Sure is nice to be able to communicate with Nature physically and mentally…Naruto…you can do this…'_

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Ehehe, so I started this on Tuesday, and I've been so exhausted from taking my exams on Wednesday, that I haven't really felt up to updating! Tomorrow is the last day of finals, and than I don't have school on Monday! WOOT! So, yeah…this was crappy, but it's all I could come up with! Hope you liked it anyway!**


	12. The tenth question! All or nothing!

**A/N: *Cries For joy***

**Sasuke: What's the matter with her?**

**Naruto: Beats me…Maybe she doesn't have anymore ramen to eat!**

**No, that's not why. FINALS ARE FINALLY OVER! MY BRAIN CAN NOW BE AT EASE FROM THE CRAP I'VE BEEN THROUGH ALL WEEK!**

**Sasuke: You're weird…**

**And since this story is being written by me and I own the main character, which is my OC, I have the power to make you nonexistent!**

**Sasuke: shutting up now…**

**Kari: *Sweat drops* Haha, don't worry guys, Twilight is just kidding around! She wouldn't get rid of Sasuke if it was the last thing on earth to do! So, Twilight does not own Naruto or any of the characters, because they belong to Mr. Masashi Kishimoto, except for me, because I am property of Twilight girl456, seeing as she created me for this story. Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright, listen up!" Ibiki shouted, everyone looking up at him. "Here's the tenth and final question."

Naruto tightened his grip on his pencil as he held it. _'Here we go. Everything's running on this one. Believe it!'_

**The tenth question: All or nothing!**

Sasuke smirked slightly. _'Man, this guy is full of himself.'_

'_This is it. The final obstacle.' _Sakura told herself.

'_This better be an easy question…'_

"But, before I give you the question, there are some more rules that you need to be aware of."

'_Great, more rules…' _Kari thought, sighing as the door to the room creaked open, the guy that ad thought it funny to hurt her and her brother walking in, one of the sentinels with him.

Ibiki smirked when he noticed him. "Ah, made it just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening…" Ibiki said, emphasizing the word enlightening. "Well, take your seat." As soon as the boy was seated, Ibiki continued. "These rules are unique to question 10. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you."

Naruto gulped. _'If even the rules are scary, what's the question like?' _

"Rule number 1: each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's you decision."

'_Wait, what? We can choose what we want to do?' _

The blonde girl that was associated with Gaara spoke up. "Woah! So, what's the catch? Let's say we don't wanna do it, what happens then?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers of the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail. And that means of course your teammates fail as well. If you do accept the question but answer it incorrectly, you'll not only fail…**YOU WILL BE BARRED FROM TAKING THE CHUNIN EXAM EVER AGAIN!**"

"Hey, that's bull, man!" Kiba exclaimed, pointing a finger at Ibiki as he stood up. "That's ridiculous! What kind of bogus rule is that? There's lots of people here that have taken the test before!" As he finished, Akamaru barked with him in agreement.

Ibiki laughed. "I guess you're just…unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year." Ibiki said, laughing as he finished his statement.

Sakura clenched her teeth together. _'Thanks a lot…So, if any one of us chooses to skip it, than all four of us fail? Forget it, that's not gonna happen! Oh, but on the other hand, you only get one shot. Screw up and you'll never get another chance. Either way, it stinks! This is so unfair. Why couldn't they just give us a normal test?'_

"Now then, if you're ready, the tenth and final question; those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go."

'_What could the question be? What if it's easy? What if it's not? I get it wrong, I'll be a Genin for the rest of my life, and the way things are going…But I just can't skip it! Then we all fail! I can't do that to the others!' _Naruto was so frustrated on trying to decide what to do, he wanted to rip out his hair.

'_Well, I'm okay. He's not getting ME to chicken out, no way I'm raising my hand! Oh, but what about Naruto? He doesn't stand a chance…Go on Naruto! Put your hand up, it's okay, don't worry about us! There's always next year. Just…think of yourself.'_ Sakura mentally encouraged the blonde.

Finally, someone dropped their pencil and raised their hand. "I'm out."

"Number 50, FAIL!" Izumo called out. "Number 130, number 110 that means you're out, too."

More hands went up after that, and Kari sighed, resting her chin in her hand. _'Geez, you'd think that at least some of these people would take a chance and believe in themselves. Just watch, the question will be easy, and they would've failed for nothing! But…I guess not taking the risk of failing and being a Genin forever is actually a wise thing to do…But I'm not gonna back down. Not yet.' _Her gaze fell on Naruto's back, and she frowned when she noticed he was slouched slightly, looking gloomy. _'But…Naruto doesn't have a big chance at passing…his chances are at only 25%, while the rest of us are at 60%…' _

"_**Someday I'm gonna be Hokage and you'll look up to me! My names Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it!"**_

"_**AHH! SHUT-UP! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage, no matter what it takes!"**_

"_**To be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important." **_

'_To become Hokage. It's always Hokage this and Hokage that with him. That one dream, the dream of being the Hokage someday…that's the only dream he has.'_

'_It would kill him to have it taken away from him forever.' _Sakura thought in realization. _'But he's too stubborn to raise his hand…I can't let you do it to yourself, Naruto.'_

'_If you're willing to risk it, Naruto…if you're willing to risk that one simple dream you have…then by all means, take that risk. I believe in you. I think that you can do this, and…I believe that you can become the Hokage someday.' _Kari mentally said, smiling slightly, gasping when Naruto raised his hand up, keeping it up for a moment, before slamming it down onto his desk.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life!" He exclaimed, standing up with a determined look on his face. "I'll still be Hokage someday!"

As he sat back down, Kari smiled brightly. _'Good job, Naruto…for believing in yourself.' _

Sasuke closed his eyes and smirked. _'Hn, he's completely clueless, but he's still going for it. The kid's got guts, I'll give him that.'_

Sakura smiled at the blonde. _'Way to go…you crazy little fool.' _

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you'd rather quit, now's your last chance."

"No way, I never go back on my word. That's the way of the ninja." Naruto stated, and everyone else that was left stared at him in what some would consider admiration, and newfound determination.

Kari glanced around at everyone. _'Well, Naruto…Looks like you've helped these people believe in themselves, too. Nice job.'_

"Well then, I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you," Ibiki stated, looking up at them with a smile, "that you've all passed the first exam."

Kari almost fell out of her seat, Sasuke catching her and pushing her back up, both of them staring at Ibiki in confusion. **_'STUPID IBIKI! HE WAS BLUFFING THE WHOLE TIME ABOUT THE TENTH QUESTION!'_**

"Hold on! What just happened? What do you mean we passed? Where's the tenth question?" Sakura asked.

Ibiki began to laugh. "There never was one, not a written one at least. Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second! So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time, is that what you're saying?" The blonde girl from before asked angrily.

"No, no, not at all! Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose: to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances. Let me explain: you see, my objective was to test you not only as individuals, but as a team, and on how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis, so you'd know that everything you did or failed to do would directly affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure."

"Mhmm, yeah, I figured it was something like that, that's why I kept my cool." Naruto explained.

'_He had no idea about that at all.' _

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult. In fact, you may have realized too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. I imagine most of you quickly came to that conclusion. That you'd have to cheat if you had any chance of passing. The fact is the test was designed to encourage cheating. Almost demanded it. Of course it would've done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from, so I disguised two Chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you."

Naruto laughed. "Oh, come on! I wasn't fooled for a second. You had to be a complete doofus not to see it. Isn't that right, Hinata?"

Kari and Sasuke both sweat dropped. "Incredible. So all the time, he never knew…"

"Those who were caught at it failed. Better not cheat, then to cheat clumsily." Ibiki said, removing his headband, everyone's eyes slightly widening when they saw the top of his head. "Information. It can be the most valuable weapon in battle, how well you gather intelligence can determine whether a mission's a failure or a success. There will be times when you have to risk your life to get it."

"Man, what a mess…" Sasuke mumbled to Kari. "Scars and puncture wounds, burn marks. What he must've endured…"

"He's been through it all…" Kari said as Ibiki put his head band back on top of his head.

"Of course you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind; disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence, cheat, in order to survive. And that's why those who were good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you."

"Okay, that clears everything else up, but still don't get the point of the tenth question." The blonde said.

"You're not? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam, surely you see that."

"Sure, but explain it anyway." Sakura said.

"As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals, but as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though it mean that both you and your teammates would be failed. Or, you could and answer it, though if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance of ever being Chunin. It was a no win situation. But just the sort Chunin face everyday. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission. To steal a document from an enemy's stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how heavily armed they are. Further more, you have reason to believe that the enemy expects you, that you might very well be walking blindly into a trap. There will be many missions that may seem almost suicidal if you think about it, but they do not think about it. They think only of the goal, achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a Chunin squad leader. Those who chose the safer of two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own…those who would save their necks at the price of sacred honor, will never be able to call themselves Chunin, at least as long as I'm here. As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I've put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this part of the Chunin selection exam completed. There's nothing left, but to wish you all good luck."

**"ALL RIGHT! WE DID IT, THAT'S ONE DOWN! YEAH, YEAH, WOOHOO! YEAH!"** Naruto exclaimed. Something crashed through the window, everyone looking over at it in shock as someone came flying through it, throwing two kunai up into the ceiling, a brown like sheet folding out. "Is this part of the test?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Heads up, boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating. I'll be your next proctor; Anko Mitarashi."

Kari hung her head down in disappointment. _'Not Anko, too…But I guess she's better than having Ibiki.'_

"You ready for the second test?** GOOD! LET'S GO, FOLLOW ME!**"

"You're early, again." Ibiki said, and Anko blushed, looking out at the students.

"All right, you maggots have had it easy so far but things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me. Dismissed."

'_Why do I get the feeling that we're all gonna die?'_

**

* * *

****The next morning~**

"Woah, nice place…what is it?" Naruto asked as they stood before a largely forested area.

"This the location for the second phase of the exam. It's the 44th battle training zone, but we call it 'The Forest of Death'." Anko explained, a smirk on her face.

The wind blew around the group of people. "Forest of…Death?" Naruto repeated.

Kari mentally screamed. _'I was right! **WE'RE GONNA DIE!'**_

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**A/N: Took me long enough, right? I haven't been feeling well, so it took me awhile….Next chapter will be up soon! Hope you enjoyed!**

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	13. Chunin exams, stage 2 and Minorin!

**A/N: WOOH, I'm really bad at updating stuff ^-^; I finished this shortly after I posted the last chapter, but I was a bit lazy and forgot to upload it. Oops! Oh, well…It's sort of crappy, but don't judge, okay? I do my best! Well, please enjoy!**

* * *

"The forest of…Death?" Naruto repeated.

The sound of movement in the grass caught Kari and Naruto's attention, both of them staring at a large rock suspiciously as it stopped next to Naruto. Naruto's eyebrow twitched. _'Fake rocks? What's up with that?' _He took a step forward, and the rock followed him, stopping when he did. He took off running and the rock ran after him, until they were running back and forth, the rock coming to a screeching halt when Naruto stopped again, and pointed at the rock. "That's the worst disguise of all time, there's no such thing as square rocks, it's completely obvious!"

"But…isn't it rectangle? Not a square?" Kari mumbled to herself.

"You saw right through my camouflage again! You're slick, boss. Just what I'd expect from my greatest rival!" The box said, beginning to glow, until it exploded slightly, creating a cloud of smoke, the sound of coughing reaching Kari's ears, the smoke clearing to reveal three kids. "I think we used a little too much gunpowder, you guys."

"**KONOHAMARU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHY AREN'T YOU IN CLASS, AND WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING PLAYING AROUND WITH GUNPOWDER?" **Kari screamed, shaking his shoulders.

"W-we're here on official business, honest sis!"

"Yeah, we're here for an interview!" Moegi said, causing Kari to stop shaking her younger brother.

"An interview, huh?" Naruto asked, and the three 8 year olds nodded.

"We're here on assignment to write an article for the academy's newspaper. It's a big time feature story all about the Chunin selection examinations." Konohamaru explained.

"So, that's why we want to do an exclusive interview with you. Please tell us you're going to do it." Moegi said cutely to Naruto.

"It would mean a lot." Udon added in.

Naruto groaned in annoyance, and someone shouted over to him. "Hey, you over there! What're you doing? You're holding up the exams." Anko said.

"Sorry, but Konohamaru was telling me something about an interview for the academy newspaper."

Anko gasped before smiling and scratching the back of her head. "Oh, yeah I forgot all about it! Lord Hokage had mentioned something about them interviewing me."

Kari sweat dropped. _'She sure has a big ego…'_

"All right, we're taking a ten minute break. For those being interviewed, please be respectful and courteous to the reporters for the academy newspaper."

"I thought I was the only one being interviewed." Naruto whined, and Konohamaru grinned, pulling out a notepad and pen.

"No, boss, but you're the most important."

**The Chunin Exams, stage 2! The forest of death!**

**(Kari's POV….)**

While Naruto was being interviewed by Konohamaru, and Sakura was being interviewed by Moegi, and Udon decided to interview Sasuke, I moved off to stare out at the forest. I thought that no one would bother me, until I heard someone shout my name.

"**KARI!" **

I whipped around upon hearing my name being called and smiled when I saw a familiar face. "Oi, Minorin!"

Minorin Miyuzaki is one of my closest friends, despite being older than me by a couple of years. See, Minorin is 15 ½, being older than me by 3 ½ years. I met her when I was around 5, and she was 8. I had been shopping in the grocery store with my mom when I had met Minorin.

_**Flashback~7 years ago~**_

_Kari ran around through the aisle, looking both ways once she got out of the aisle, whimpering when she couldn't find her mother. She searched some more, finally stopping and crying. "Mommy, where are you? MOMMY!" When there was no reply, she slid down against the wall, sobbing quietly._

"_Hey, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"_

_Kari lifted her head up to stare at the person through teary eyes. She sniffled. "I-I can't find my mommy. I don't know where she went…"_

_The red-headed, blue eyed girl smiled sympathetically, kneeling down in front of Kari. "Well, I'm sure she's around here somewhere, lookin' for you too. Hey, I betchya my mom can help you find your mom." _

"_How?"_

"_Well, my mom and dad own the store, and my mom is always working up at the check out. She can probably help us find your mom faster." She stood up and grinned, extending a hand out to her. "C'mon!" Kari sniffled one last time before taking the older girls hand, holding it as they walked through the store. "By the way, my names Minorin. What's your name?"_

"_My name's Hikari, but you can just call me Kari if you wanna." Kari said. _

_Eventually, the two kids reached the front of the counter, where Kari's mother was talking to a woman with red hair just like Minorin's. Kari's eyes lit up. "Mommy!" _

_The brunette woman turned to face her, relief washing over her face. "Hikari! Oh, don't you ever scare me like that again! Where were you?"_

_Kari smiled. "I dunno, but Minorin over there helped me find you." _

_Minorin smiled. "Ah, it was nothing, really."_

_Kari ran over to Minorin. "Minorin, would you like to be my friend?" _

_Minorin seemed thoughtful for a moment, before she grinned. "Yeah! Best friends!"_

_Kari nodded. "Right! Best friends!"_

_**End flashback~**_

Since then, we've been friends, despite the age difference. Minorin was attending the academy when we met, and she graduated 2 years after that, and now she's a Chunin, so I don't really see much of her nowadays since she's always on missions. Her mother and father still run their store, Miyuzaki Groceries, her older brother Renji helping them run it now.

"Minorin, what're you doing here?" I asked as she nearly squeezed me to death in a bone crushing hug. Despite her innocent and nice looks, Minorin is actually stronger than most people take her to be, so sometimes she really doesn't know her own strength. So when I felt like my air circulation was being cut off, I decided to get her attention. "Minorin…can't…breath! Circulation…cut off!"

She instantly released me and laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, I guess I got carried away!" she apologized before looking around. "So, the Chunin exams already? I wasn't even here when you made Genin!"

I smiled. "Well, that's okay! You can be here to see me make Chunin!"

"Yeah, I will be! I'm sure you and your teammates will all do excellent."

"**THE ARTICLE'S ABOUT ME!"**

"You were saying?" I asked, sweat dropping slightly as Minorin looked over at Naruto and Sasuke as they argued.

"Don't tell me those two are on your team?"

"Sadly, yes. We have one more member, but she's being interviewed for the academy newspaper like those two over there are."

"Um, do those two always fight like this?"

"Yeah, pretty much, though Naruto usually starts it most of the time, and Sasuke just makes him angrier."

As Naruto mentioned the incident where Lee had kicked Sasuke's butt, and that proved that he was more of a screw up then Naruto himself, Sasuke shot him a death glare.

"I'm gonna screw you up if you don't watch it, Naruto," Sasuke threatened.

"I think I'll just leave you to take care of those two. Catch ya later!" With that said, Minorin took off, leaving Kari.

Kari sighed, walking over to the two and bopping them on the heads. "And I'm gonna screw both of your faces up if you don't cut it out!"

**Several minutes later~**

"We really want to thank you. That was a great interview!" Moegi said as they gathered around us.

"Yeah, thanks!" Udon said.

Konohamaru gave us a thumbs up. "Knock 'em dead on the Chunin exam, boss and sis!"

Naruto gave him a thumbs up back. "Don't worry guys, we'll make it!"

I grabbed a backpack that I had brought and handed it to Konohamaru. "I'm gonna be gone for a few days, so I packed you several pairs of clothes, your toothbrush and toothpaste, your pajamas, a hairbrush, and of course, this." I said, pulling out a small picture frame and handing it to him.

"Hey, it's a picture of mom and dad!" Konohamaru exclaimed, grinning slightly as he stared at the picture. "And you too! Hey, what about me? How come I'm not in the picture?"

I laughed, patting his head. "Because, you weren't born yet, silly! Whenever mom and dad would go on missions and we'd have to go stay with grandpa Hokage, mom would always pack me a picture of her and dad so we would feel like they were there with us. Take care of it while you're staying with grandpa Hokage and try not to drive him crazy, Konohamaru."

He gave me a toothy grin. "Don't worry sis! You just go out there and kick everyone's butt so you can become a Chunin!"

I grinned. "Don't worry, I will!"

They began to walk away, all three of them talking over each other, though I was able to hear Konohamaru talking to me. "Good luck, sis! I'll be cheering for ya!"

Even though he is an annoying pest, he's still the best little brother anyone could ever ask for.

* * *

About an hour later, the group found themselves inside the forest. The task was simple: each team was given either a heaven scroll and an earth scroll. In order for them to enter the tower in the center of the forest, both a heaven scroll and an earth scroll were required, meaning the teams would have to fight for whatever scroll they needed. The group walked quietly together, stopping when they heard a scream. Sakura frowned. "That sounded like someone screaming…" Birds flew out from the trees and Kari looked up at the sky, sighing slightly. "I do not like this place." Sakura declared.

"Make that two of us." Kari mumbled.

"Oh, c'mon! It's nothing to be scared of, it's gonna be a piece of cake." Naruto assured them, silent for a moment before turning around. "Excuse me for a second, I really gotta-y'know…"

Kari covered her eyes in disgust. "Ugh, Naruto! My eyes!"

Sakura whacked him upside the head. "YEAH RIGHT! Get outta here, what is this? A Kennel? Not in front of me or Kari you don't! Go find a bush or something!" Sakura said, pointing off to the side, Naruto going off in the direction she had pointed to, rubbing his head as he went.

Several minutes later, Naruto came back. "Aw, man, that was a lot! I wrote my whole name!"

"**YOU'RE SUCH A PIG! YOU'RE REALLY DISGUSTING SOMETIMES!" **Sakura exclaimed, continuing to rant. Kari elbowed Sasuke in the side, earning his attention. She looked from him, to Naruto, and immediately, his eyes narrowed. With incredible speed, he ran forward and knocked Naruto several feet backwards into a tree.

Sakura frowned at the Uchiha. "Sasuke, it wasn't that bad. Don't you think you're going a little overboard?"

Naruto glared at him as he rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, what the heck was that all about-" He was unable to finish and move out of the way as Sasuke landed another kick to him, kicking his face this time. He made the move to kick him again, only to miss as Naruto jumped up into a tree this time. Sasuke followed him up and kicked him, knocking him out of the tree and onto the ground. Groaning, Naruto looked over at Sakura and Kari. "Better watch out Kari and Sakura, I think he's gone crazy."

Kari narrowed her eyes. "As if."

"Yeah, you wish. I just struck before you could!" Sasuke said, pulling out a Kunai and running towards Naruto.

"Sasuke, no!" Sakura cried, only to be ignored. The two girls watched as both boys fought with Kunai knives, Naruto managing to dodge and jump back a couple of feet. Kari pulled out her own Kunai and readied herself, Sakura looking between her and Sasuke, confused. "Sasuke, Kari, what're you two doing?"

"You mean you didn't notice?" Kari asked, frowning slightly.

"Take a good look at him." Sasuke told Sakura, nodding towards the blonde before him, his glare hardening. "Talk! What have you done with Naruto?"

Sakura gasped and Naruto stared at them in shock. "What do ya mean, I am Naruto!"

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" Sasuke demanded, Naruto's eyes widening, and Sakura coming to the realization that this was indeed not Naruto, but a phony. "I guess you didn't know that the real Naruto got a cut on his face before this test! You also have your shuriken holster on your left leg, not your right. But the real Naruto is right handed. Your transformation skill is even worse than Naruto's! Tell me who you are!" Sasuke demanded.

The phony became surrounded in a cloud, which disappeared and revealed the real person. It was a ninja from the hidden rain village, from what Kari could tell by the headband on his head, and a strange ninja at that, due to the weird breathing like contraption over his mouth.

"All right you got me, so what? I'm still gonna take your scroll now hand it over, or else!" The teams response was a defensive stance, and Sakura whipping out her own kunai. "So which one of you has it?" When none of them replied, or even looked like they would ever say anything at all, the ninja scoffed. "Fine then. I guess I'll just have to take you all out!"

And with that said, he began to charge toward Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Crappy, I know. Sorry, but I was sort of on a writers block for awhile, but I think I'm back on track…for now :D! Well…hope someone enjoyed. LATER TATERS!**


	14. Eat or be eaten! Panic in the forest!

**Eat or be eaten; Panic in the forest!**

_**Last time~**_

"Which one of you has it? Or do I take you all out?"

He charged towards the remaining three members. They all jumped out of the way, Sasuke performing several hand signs. _'Fire style: Phoenix flower jutsu!' _Sasuke shot several small fireballs from his mouth at their attacker, only to have them miss and the enemy meet him midair, their kunai's creating sparks upon hitting each other. The ninja took off and Sasuke went after him, only to stop when a familiar figure on the ground squirming caught his attention.

"AAAARRRGH! HEY, GET ME OUTTA IT!" Naruto shouted, much to Sasuke's frustration.

'_Tch! Little idiot…' _He launched a Kunai at Naruto, missing him and cutting the rope a bit.

"Thank you!"

"Better keep your mind on the game!" The enemy ninja exclaimed, launching several kunai's at Sasuke, who dangled from a tree branch, his eyes widening when he noticed a familiar piece of paper.

"A paper bomb?" Before he could manage to move out of the way, it exploded, throwing him back a few feet. He flipped around and landed on the ground on his hands and knees, the rain ninja appearing behind him with Kunai.

"Sorry. This is one test you fail. Now hand over the scroll or you die!"

Sakura ran by, stopping and shouting Sasuke's name when she saw the predicament he was in. Sasuke suddenly smirked as two Kunai knives came flying in the rain ninjas direction. He dodged out of their way, both landing behind Sasuke. Naruto came flying out of the trees from one direction, landing on all fours. "Oh no you don't!"

Kari flew out from the side, landing gracefully on her feet, an exasperated look on her face.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. _'Better late than never, I guess…'_ He grabbed one of the kunai's from behind him and focused his chakra to the soles of his feet, the kunai sticking to his foot. He launched it at the rain ninja before leaping into the air himself. The kunai missed it's target, but Sasuke didn't and stabbed him.

The ninja managed to get away, injured, putting them at a bit of ease for the moment. The group sat down in a circle, Sasuke speaking up. "That proves that we just can't trust appearances. We have to come up with a way of knowing each of us is who we say we are and not some impostor using a transformation jutsu."

The other three members nodded. "All right, so what do we do?" Sakura questioned.

"We need a password." Sasuke stated.

"What kind of password?" Naruto asked, frowning slightly.

"A secret one. Something known only to the four of us. And don't trust anyone who doesn't know it no matter what. Okay, listen closely because I only want to say this once. The question will be, 'When does a ninja strike?' and the response is 'A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike. Got it?"

"I got it."

"So do I."

"You got one…a little shorter?"

"No, Naruto. That's it."

"Ugh, c'mon! What's wrong? Didn't you get it? I memorized it easy!" Sakura said, Kari frowning at her snobby like behavior.

"Yeah, sure, I got it. I got it! No problem. I just thought it was gonna be a "password" not a "pass-speech"." Naruto said, earning a small giggle from Kari.

Sasuke stood up. "All right then. I'll take the scroll."

"Wait a minute Sasuke, I-" Naruto began, only to stop mid sentence when he felt something hit his neck, causing him to look off to the side. "What was that?"

Before anyone could try to come up with an answer, a strong gust of wind shot out at them, Kari and Sakura both screaming.

"What is it now?" Sasuke asked, a bit annoyed that they were constantly being interrupted. The wind grew stronger, blowing them all back and away from each other in different directions.

* * *

I was aware that I was lying down on my back, aching terribly bad. Slowly, I opened my eyes to stare up at the tops of the trees, wincing slightly as I moved to sit up. I rubbed my head. "Man…the heck happened? And where is everyone?" I stood up and glanced around. It suddenly became darker than normal from behind me. Something hissed and I froze, slowly moving to turn around to see what was blocking my source of light. "S-s-s-s-s-**SNNNNNAAAAAAKKKKKKKEEEE**!" It launched at me, it's mouth open, prepared to eat me. I screamed and threw several kunai and shuriken at it. **"AIN'T NO WAY I'M GONNA BE SNAKE FOOD! GET AWAY FROM ME!" **It tried to bite down and catch me again but I threw a Kunai with a paper bomb attached to it at it's mouth, only to have the snake keep coming. **"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"**

***BOOOOOOM***

I knew that the paper bomb had worked, but I didn't dare look back to see if it had done its job. When it comes to big fears, Snakes and spiders are mine. Silly and childish, I know, but I can't help it, especially when there's a big ass snake trying to make you its dinner! I ran, until I heard someone talking, eventually seeing Sasuke and Sakura both kneeling on the ground…and I also noticed they weren't alone. The person before them was a very creepy looking woman, and before I could understand what had exactly happened in my absence, she was launching two kunai at them. I reacted immediately, nearly shouting in surprise when Sasuke stabbed his leg.

"Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!"

* * *

As soon as the kunai had made contact with his leg and pain shot through it, tree roots shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around Sakura's body, shooting up into the trees with her. When Sasuke noticed it, he went after the roots, the two kunai hitting the tree. Hikari took off after her two teammates and the tree roots that she had summoned. She found them sitting on a tree branch, the roots already retreated. Sakura sat in front of Sasuke, while the Uchiha leant back against the tree, panting heavily. He pulled the kunai imbedded into his leg out, blood gushing out of the wound he had inflicted on himself. Sakura stared at him wide eyed, gasping quietly as she the blood. Kari moved her out of the way and off to the side, kneeling in front of Sasuke where Sakura had been sitting.

"Are you crazy? Pulling it out like that will make the bleeding worse!" She cursed under her breath as she dug through one of her pouches, not finding the equipment she was looking for.

"Will you be alright-" Sakura asked, only to have Sasuke clamp a hand over her mouth to keep her from saying anymore. He looked around, tense and nervous.

'_Gotta move. Gotta get away from her! But how? WHERE?'_

When Sasuke's shaking became noticeable, Kari frowned. "Hey, what happened back there with that grass nin-" Sakura grabbing her arm and tugging it stopped her from finishing. "What do you-" She stopped, her eyes widening as she saw what Sakura had been trying to get her attention for.

Sakura pushed Sasuke's hand from her mouth. "SASUKE WATCH OUT!"

"**SSSNNNNAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKEEEEEE!" **Kari screamed, leaping out of the way with the others as the large snake sunk its fangs into the branch they had been sitting on moments earlier. It wrapped itself around the tree trunk before launching its mouth towards Sasuke, who let out a scream.

"**NO! STAY AWAAYY!" **He threw several ninja stars at the snake, each one hitting it and causing it to fall limp on a tree branch, blood gushing out from its mouth.

The three thought that the snake was gone for good, but they were soon surprised by something else. The snake's skin on its neck began to crack open, someone making their way out. "I sense your fear and desperation. It's only natural. The prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment in the presence of its predator!"

The grass ninja that had attacked Sasuke and Sakura from earlier stood before them, covered in snake guts. She stuck out her snake like tongue and licked her lips, causing Kari to feel a little squeamish at the sight. The squeamish feeling went away as soon as she saw the grass ninja take on a snake like body for her lower half, wrapping herself around the tree trunk quickly and heading for Sasuke. She was stopped when several kunai and ninja stars flew out in front of her, imbedding themselves in the tree and stopping her.

"Looks like I came just in time!"

Hikari, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked up at the same time, Kari and Sakura smiling when they saw who it was.

"Naruto!"

"Knuckle he-I mean, NARUTO!"

Naruto smirked down at them. "Oh, and by the way; What was that password again?"

"Forget it, we know it's you! You made it." Sakura said, frowning slightly.

"**NARUTO, GET OUTTA HERE! WHAT'RE YOU THINKING! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST!" **Sasuke yelled, looking up at the blonde. "Hurry! Go now while you still can!"

The grass ninja smirked. "So Naruto, I see that you escaped from my snake like Hikari did. Well done."

'_THE HELL? YOU MEAN I ALMOST GOT EATEN BY THAT SNAKE BECAUSE SHE TOLD IT TO?' _

Sasuke continued to stare up at Naruto. _'He doesn't get it. He doesn't know what he's dealing with! What do I do?'_

"Ok, ok, I don't know what's going on here, but you've been picking on my friends and I don't like that! So you just better slither on back into your hole snake-lady before I make pair of shoes out of ya!"

Sasuke gasped, glaring angrily at Naruto. _'LITTLE IDIOT! He's just gonna get all four of us killed. I've got to do something, but WHAT?'_ When nothing could come to mind, Sasuke mentally sighed in defeat. _'It's no use. There's only one way.' _He deactivated his Sharingan and let his hands fall to his sides. "You can have it!"

"Hm?"

"Huh?"

"Uh…"

"Eh?"

Sasuke dug into the pouch he had strapped to his waist, pulling out there scroll and holding it up for everyone to see. "The scroll, right? That's what you want. All right then. Take it and leave us in peace!"

**"HUH?"**

"Huh?"

**"WHAT THE HELL?" **Kari exclaimed, not sure what to think.

"Sasuke, are you crazy or what? We're just gonna hand the scroll over to the enemy?" Naruto asked, his anger clear. "NO WAY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

**"SHUT-UP AND STAY OUT OF IT!"** Sasuke ordered.

**"WHAT?"**

The grass ninja smirked. "Very wise, very sensible. Sometimes the helpless prey, if they are to save their own skins, will realize their only hope is to distract the predator with something even more precious."

Silence came after that, Sasuke and the grass ninja staring at each other before Sasuke threw the scroll to her. "Take it." Kari sighed, silently fuming at Sasuke for ruining her and the others chances of ever making Chunin. She waited for the grass ninja to catch the scroll and disappear, heading to victory, while they stayed behind and lost. Only…the scroll never met the grass ninjas hands because someone caught it before she could. Naruto landed next to Sasuke on the branch, pocketing the scroll and earning an angered look from the Uchiha. **"STOP PLAYING THE DAMN HERO! JUST STAY OUT OF THIS AND LEAVE IT TO ME!" **Naruto punched him, hitting his cheek and knocking him back several feet. Sasuke landed on the branch behind him, glaring up at Naruto with a bloody lip. "Stupid fool, you don't know what you're doing!"

Naruto trembled in anger, panting heavily before he stared over at Sasuke. "I may not know the password, but I know who I am. You're the one I'm not so sure about. How do we know who you say you are?"

"What do you mean? It's him! Don't be so stupid!" Sakura said angrily.

"What sort of nonsense is this? It's me, you loser!"

"Liar. Liar! You may look just like him. You may sound just like him, but there's no way you're the Sasuke I know! I don't care how tough a fight you've been through. Surrendering, giving up the scroll," Naruto said, his anger growing. "when did Sasuke become such a coward? You keep saying I don't understand what's going on but I do. You choked, that's what it is!"

The grass ninja smirked and laughed slightly, standing up straight on her feet. "Sad, but true." She licked her lips with her snake like tongue and had maniacal look on her face. "It doesn't matter. As far as the scroll goes, I could simply kill you and take it," as she said this, she lifted her sleeve to reveal some type of marking along her arm. She lifted her thumb to her mouth and bit it hard enough to draw blood before smearing it along the marking on her arm.

Naruto whipped out a kunai and dashed forward. "LET'S SEE YOU TRY IT!"

"DON'T!" Sasuke shouted, but Naruto ignored him. "NARUTO, NO!"

"Summoning jutsu!" a large gust of wind appeared around them, slowly blowing Naruto away from the ninja, a large snake appearing below her feet. She stood on it's head, staring up at the blonde.

"NARUTO!" Sakura and Hikari both cried.

The woman chuckled as she stared down at Naruto from her place atop the large snakes head. "What a tasty little meal you'll make for him. Careful, he likes to play with his food." The snake brought its tail down onto the branch Naruto had been standing on, sending him flying up into the air, his body impacting with a tree branch, knocking the wind out of him before he fell again. When everyone seemed to think he was a goner, he started to attack the snake with powerful punches, causing the others to question where he got the power to do it. The woman blew some type of fire ball at him, the thing consuming Naruto and knocking him back down a few feet.

The woman glanced over at Sasuke and smirked. "Now then, let's see how well you do, Sasuke." The snake she was standing on began to charge towards the Uchiha, who stood there like a rabbit in shock.

"SASUKE!" Sakura cried, standing just as still as Sasuke.

Kari had finally had enough of standing around. Quickly, she leaped over to where the Uchiha stood, jumping in front of him and performing several hand signs, preparing to counter the snake, only it was stopped by someone jumping in front of them and stopping the snake. Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura's jaws dropped when they noticed that Naruto had been the one to stop the large snake using only two kunai knives. Kari moved to stand next to Sasuke, staring at Naruto worriedly as he panted heavily.

"Hey, kid. You're not hurt, are ya?" the other three Genin stared at him in shock, staying silent. Naruto looked up to stare at Sasuke. "You scaredy cat!"

Kari quietly gasped as she took in Naruto's appearance, his eyes no longer their gentle looking blue, but violent blood red. _'N-Naruto…? What's happened to you?'_

"Standing there frozen like a frightened rabbit. No way! You're not the Sasuke I know!" He looked like he had more to say, but the grass ninja grabbed him with her tongue and lifted him off the ground. Kari made the move to grab him and pull him out of the woman's grip, but Naruto was already to high for her to reach. "NARUTO!"

"**HEY! OH, MAN! DISGUSTING! PUT ME DOWN BEFORE I YANK THIS TONGUE OUT OF YOUR HEAD!"**

0o0o0o0o

Before I could even realize what was going on, that creepy lady did something to Naruto, causing him to scream in pain. He stopped squirming around within seconds, and I felt fear and anger coursing through me.

"Sasuke, hurry! DO SOMETHING!" That's the problem, the Uchiha can't do anything because he's so terrified he doesn't know what to do. My thoughts on Sasuke were stopped when the woman flung Naruto to the side, sending him falling to his death. I glanced over at Sakura and immediately she took action, throwing a kunai and catching it on Naruto's shirt, leaving him hanging from the kunai as it was stuck in the tree.

I performed several hand signs, the chakra flowing through me. "Wind style: Scattering flower dance!" I sent a cyclone of flower petals towards the woman, and she stopped them with the same fire attack she had used on Naruto earlier.

"Sasuke, what's wrong with you?" I heard Sakura ask, somewhat angrily. I sent another cyclone of flower petals at the woman, but once again, she stopped the attack.

"Well, well…It seems that you know quite a few jutsu's. You've made me curious to see what else you know."

I glowered at her and pulled out a kunai that had a paper bomb attached to it, aiming it at her and launching it, hoping that it would hit her and this would all be over. But, alas, she sidestepped it with ease, the kunai hitting a tree instead and blowing it up. "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but know one can just pop up and think they can beat my comrades around like you're doing! **NO ONE DOES THAT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT WHILE I'M AROUND!**" I performed another set of hand signs. _'If I can't get her to stay still, then I'll just have to make her stay still. Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!' _Tree roots shot up from the ground and headed straight towards her. I wanted to scream and punch the snot out of something when the snake she was one stopped the tree roots in their tracks.

I glanced back at Sasuke to find him still standing their, tears coming to my eyes from all the pressure and frustration I felt being put on me. **"GODDAMMIT SASUKE, MAN UP AND DO SOMETHING!"**

The woman chuckled. "He's too stricken with fear to help you and your teammates out." I narrowed my eyes and she smirked. "Those eyes…you have her eyes. That's that same look she gave me…"

"STOP TALKING NONSENSE!"

She cackled. "You're just like her. Not only with appearance, but with the same behavior…it's like looking at an exact copy. And yet…you don't have the same special power that she possessed."

"I SAID STOP TALKING NONSENSE!" I threw a kunai at her, only to have it miss, and I made the move to throw another one at her, but I stopped when I heard someone shout.

"NO!" It was the Uchiha.

That ugly snake the woman had been standing on exploded into a cloud of smoke, and the tension that was in the air grew 20 times worse than before.

What was to come next could most likely mean the end of the line for us.

**

* * *

****A/N: Not that great…Blegh….Well, this wasn't that bad, but not that amazing. But, you guys like it, so I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review! LATER TATERS!**


	15. Orochimaru

"No!" Sasuke exclaimed, activating his Sharingan and getting into a stance.

He whipped out a kunai and gently moved Hikari out from her spot in front of him and next to him. He shot her a glance and she smirked. "Well, it's about time you got into the action. Hope you're ready for this."

He nodded, putting the Kunai in his mouth and biting down on it slightly. _'All I cared about was surviving in order to defeat my brother. What a fool I've been! I see the truth now! Naruto, Sakura, Hikari…If I haven't the courage to face this demon, how can I ever hope to face him?' _With that last though in mind, he took off with incredible speed, leaping up into the air and sending a rain of kunai at the woman, who easily maneuvered out of the way of the knives. When it came down with hand to hand combat between Sasuke and the woman, Hikari closed her eyes and focused her chakra.

'_Any of you out there, go find the proctor, Anko! Do whatever you have to in order to tell her who sent you, and lead her here! HURRY!' _As soon as she said this mentally, at least several different birds and several hawks flew out from the tree tops and off to search for the proctor.

The woman began to run around in circles at a blinding speed around Sasuke, and Kari narrowed her eyes. She decided that unless Sasuke looked like he was completely helpless and in dire need of assistance, only then would she step up and help him. Sasuke blew fire at the woman from his mouth, creating a fire like tornado. Once the fire was gone, the woman had jumped down into the tree bark, moving straight towards Sasuke from below, Sasuke leaping out of the way of her hand just before she could manage to grab him.

It looked like Sasuke had a chance at getting rid of this woman.

_**Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest-**_

Anko moved quickly, flipping around on a tree branch and landing atop it on both feet, staring out at the horizon. _'Sun's going down…I've gotta find him soon. My odds are bad enough as it is, it'll only get worse in the dark. But why NOW? What the devil could he be after? No matter. He's here. Time to finish this.' _Anko made the move to continue on further, stopping when the sound of birds chirping wildly and several hawks screeching caused her to stop and look up at the tree tops to see said birds land, taking up almost all of the tree branches around her._ 'What the heck is this? What's with all the birds and the hawks?'_

One of the hawks flew down towards her and screeched, grabbing her trench coat with it's talons and trying to pull Anko forward. Confused, Anko tried to shoo the large bird away.

"Hey, cut that out! Can't you see that I'm trying to do something important before someone get's killed?" The hawk began to screech louder and even more at this, and the others joined in, Anko frowning slightly when she began to come to a conclusion as to what these birds were doing here and who had sent them. _'No! He's already attacked someone!' _"Show me where they are as fast as you can!"

_**Back with Team 7-**_

Kari and Sakura watched in amazement as Sasuke came flying down from above with the woman, smashing her head first onto a tree branch and causing it to crack slightly. Sasuke leaped away from her, causing her legs to fall limp. Kari leaped over to stand next to the panting Uchiha, a Kunai already drawn. _'That was way too easy…This isn't over, it's just begun!' _The woman turned into mud, and Sasuke's eyes grew wide.

"Substitution?" A kunai whizzed by him, cutting his cheek, another flying past Hikari and hitting her arm. Instantly, the two flipped backwards several feet, getting away from the rain of kunai the woman was sending at them. Sasuke leapt off the branch and pulled out some wire, using it to get away, while Kari summoned several tree roots to move her around. Sasuke landed on a branch, only to regret it when the woman appeared before him and punched straight in the face. She got several more hits in, kicking Sasuke back and sending him landing with a thud.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, staring down at him worriedly.

As the woman stepped forward to stand in front of Sasuke's fallen form, Kari smirked as she noticed what Sasuke had done. "3, 2, 1..." Instantly, the three little paper bombs Sasuke had managed to snag on the woman from behind blew, giving Sasuke the chance to move out of the way. He threw several ninja stars that he had attached wire to, all of them wrapping themselves around the woman and the tree, tying her in place. Sasuke performed several hand sings from where he stood, a piece of wire in his mouth.

'_Fire style: Dragon flame jutsu!' _A large flame shot out and connected to a strand of wire, moving until it hit the woman head on, causing her to scream.

"He did it!" Sakura said happily.

'_I knew you had it in you, Sasuke…' _Kari thought with a smile, having the tree roots move her to where Sasuke was. She jumped off of the roots and allowed them to return back to the ground. "Nicely done, Sasuke."

Sakura ran down from where she had been standing, running over to them. "You did it! You okay?" When she got no response, she still continued to talk, "Don't worry, it's all over."

Hikari smiled slightly, only to have it disappear as the sound of the wire creaking reached her ears, her gaze darting towards the woman just in time to see her break free and begin to walk towards them. She performed a hand sign, and before anyone could do anything, they all froze in place, Sakura falling to her knees, Kari doing her best to remain standing though it was a struggle to even do so.

"No, impossible!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Such mastery of the Sharingan at so young an age," The woman's voice turned into that of a mans, Kari's eyes widening as it did so, "You're a true Uchiha after all. Yes…you'll do nicely." Sasuke continued to struggle, screaming as he did so. "You are definitely his brother. If anything your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."

"WHO ARE YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"My name is Orochimaru. But as to what I want, that'll have to wait until we meet again which won't happen until you complete this test with the best score of all." He began to burn the teams scroll, Kari and Sakura gasping.

'_OROCHIMARU? ONE OF THE SANNIN?'_

"The scroll!"

"First, you'll have to defeat the hidden sound ninja who serve me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but if you finish, why don't you just beat it! If we never meet again, it'll be too soon!"

"Oh, he and I will meet again." Orochimaru made a hand sign and his neck became long like a snakes. He came at Sasuke and sunk his teeth into his neck, Kari and Sakura both shouting at Sasuke in worry. Orochimaru pulled away and back to his body.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke grunted in pain, holding his hand to his neck. Kari stood up quickly and grabbed him, staring at him worriedly. Sakura glared over at Orochimaru angrily. "You! What have you done to Sasuke?" Sakura demanded, Sasuke falling to his knees an taking Kari with him.

"I just gave him a little parting gift. Very soon, Sasuke will seek me out and desire my power. In the mean time, I enjoyed the demonstration of the power you already possess. Especially you Hikari." He glanced over at Hikari, who simply glared. "If only you had the same power that she had, I would do the same thing to you that I did to your friend here. But…" He came at her and ripped the part of her of her shirt where it covered the top of her shoulder. When he found what he had been looking for he smirked widely, moving back before she could manage to hit him. "Well, well…It seems that you do have the same power…It just hasn't been awoken yet. Maybe next time we meet, I'll give you a little gift as well if you've awoken the power that only Kaori Kietsu was known to have."

Kari's eyes widened as she heard that and Orochimaru chuckled. "You look just like your dear mother."

Kari had enough. She threw a kunai at him, earning another chuckle from him as it imbedded itself into the tree. "My mother's name wasn't Kaori Kietsu. It was Kaori Sarutobi! Get it right or I won't miss next time!"

He chuckled again, sinking down into the tree branch as he did so, until he was gone. Sasuke let out an agonizing scream of pain, kneeling on all fours and falling forwards slightly, burying his face into his arm. Sakura stared at him in worry, reaching for him. "Sasuke!"

"Sakura, go get Naruto down from the tree." Kari ordered calmly, putting a hand on Sasuke's back as she dug through her bag.

Sakura gave her dirty glare. "Look, just because Sasuke's hurt doesn't mean that you should be the one to take care of him. You think that just because you're the Hokage's granddaughter that you know more stuff than the rest of us! Well, I don't care what you say! Sasuke is mine, and I should be the one-"

**"WOULD YOU SHUT-UP AND STOP ACTING LIKE A LITTLE CHILD?"** Kari screamed, sending an angry glare at the pinkette and silencing her. "Sasuke is not an object! He's a human being that is his own person, not the property of some obsessive fan girl. I told you to go get Naruto down from that tree because I knew the first thing that you would do was try and take care of Sasuke. That's all you do! If you think I'm trying to steal Sasuke, than you're wrong. I'm trying to take care of this because he's my comrade. Now, I'll say it again. Go. Get. Naruto. Down."

Sakura didn't object this time and took off to the blonde. Kari stared down at Sasuke's trembling form, frowning when she saw the little 'parting gift' that Orochimaru had left, a little blood still on the Uchiha's neck. Kari gently lifted Sasuke off the ground and sat him up a bit. She reached down for some antiseptic and gauze, only to have her hand stopped by Sasuke. He squeezed it as he grunted in pain, Kari's frown disappearing into a saddened sympathetic look. "It's okay…It's okay." He squeezed it tighter, letting out a scream of pain. "It'll be okay….You'll be just-" She stopped as Sasuke became quiet and slumped forward, falling into her lap. Gently, she cradled his head and sighed. "Sasuke…I'm sorry."

As Sakura came back dragging Naruto, Sakura set him down and ran over to Kari, tears falling from her eyes. "Sasuke! Sasuke!"

"Stop it, Sakura!" Kari ordered, Sakura looking up at the Sarutobi girl with teary eyes. "Crying isn't gonna help anything, okay? Now, first things first," She pulled out her bag and unzipped it, revealing all sorts of different medical supplies. "We need to treat wounds and clean them to the best we can before we move them to somewhere more suitable for resting. We don't want to move them and find out that they're bleeding to death from some type of uncared for injury. Here," she handed her a bottle of antiseptic and several cloths, "Pour some of this on each little cloth for each little wound you see. Even though it may not look dirty, it still is. Don't use the same cloth more than once. The last thing we need is an infection on our hands."

Sakura nodded and moved over to take care of Naruto. Kari grabbed a cloth and poured some antiseptic onto it, treating the wound on Sasuke's neck first. _'It's a good thing that it's not that big of wound, but still…this mark is not a good thing…I can sense it. Sasuke, you've got a long road ahead of you.' _She tossed the cloth and made the move to grab another, but stopped when she noticed how Sasuke's cheeks were flushed. She put a hand to his forehead and cheeks, grumbling slightly. _'Dammit! He's burning up!' _

"I think Naruto's gonna be fine. Most of his injuries were just a bunch of bruises and scrapes. Nothing too big." Sakura said as she came back over to Kari.

"Good, that's good." Kari said, cleaning up the cut that one of the kunai knives Orochimaru had thrown had left on Sasuke's cheek. "What about you? You okay?"

Sakura nodded, giving her a smile. "I'm fine. Hey, you've got a cut on your arm." Sakura said, pointing to the cut that Kari had received from the kunai that had hit her earlier.

"Oh, that. Just wipe it with some disinfectant and wrap it. It's not that bad."

Sakura reached for Kari's bag, stopping and staring at her shoulder where Orochimaru had ripped it. "Hey, is that what Orochimaru was talking about?" To make a point, Sakura poked her shoulder.

Kari didn't even need to look to know what Sakura was talking about. "Oh, that? It's just birthmark, nothing important or special."

"It's kinda neat. It sort of looks like a flower or a star, or maybe…" Sakura said, staring at with curiosity as she wrapped the gauze around Hikari's cut.

"Heh, well, it looks like a lot of things, so let's just leave it at that. Okay, I'm done. Now, to find somewhere to rest. Hmmm…." She glanced around, her eyes sparking slightly when she saw a small little den not too far from where they were. "Okay, we're gonna go there to rest. You grab Naruto, I'll take Sasuke!"

"Right!"

As they made their way down and inside the little den, they set down their unconscious comrades gently. "Tomorrow, one of us can go and look for some herbs if it's light enough. Sasuke has a fever, and there should be some herbs that may help his fever drop down."

Sakura nodded. "At least his breathing's back to normal."

"Mm."

"It looks like it's up to us now, Hikari."

"….Right. It's all up to us, Sakura."

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**A/N: Well, this went well, I guess. I actually liked writing this chappie :D! Review and stuff! LATER TATERS!**


	16. Sakura's inner strength and courage!

_**Sakura's inner strength and courage revealed! **_

"Get another wet cloth."

"Right," Sakura said, grabbing another cloth, folding it some, and pouring some water on it from a canteen, "Here."

Kari took it from her. "Thanks." She wrung it out a little before taking off the cloth that was currently placed on Sasuke's forehead and handed it to Sakura, placing the new one on his forehead. "I'm not quite sure how high his fever is, but until it's gone down at least a little and he's not in anymore pain, we'll have to keep using wet cloths to try and bring down his fever. Liquids would help, but we can't really give him anything to drink since he's unconscious. But, I think he'll pull through just fine!" She smiled at Sakura, only to have it disappear when she noticed the down look on Sakura's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's just that…I feel so useless compared to you, Sasuke, and Naruto." Sakura admitted. "I mean, you guys have all got me beat. Remember the mission back in the Land of Waves? You guys all did something, but I just stood around, like I did today. I didn't bother to try and help out. I can't even stand a chance against an enemy."

Kari gave her a smile. "Listen Sakura, just because you didn't do anything doesn't make you useless. Sure, you're not that strong and all, but you know what? I think that you're really strong, but you just haven't found that strength yet. It'll come to you when you need it most, along with the courage you need to face an enemy. So, don't put yourself so down about it, okay?"

Sakura's sad expression changed to a happy one. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Sakura went back to staring down at her lap while Kari leaned back against a rock. Sakura began to doze off, and in the end she did, only jump awake when she had a nightmare. When she woke back up, it was already daytime and Kari had fallen asleep probably ages ago. The sound of bushes rustling behind her caused Sakura to stiffen slightly in panic and pull out a Kunai, her hands trembling as she turned around slowly to glance behind her. When she did, she saw that it was only a little squirrel eating a nut. It began to run towards her and she let out a sigh of relief, only to gasp loudly when she thought of something, throwing the kunai and earning a terrified squeak from the squirrel as it ran away. When she turned back around she found Kari changing the cloth on Sasuke's forehead.

"Man, I slept like a log!" Kari said, stretching her arms above her head. She glanced over at Sakura and smiled sheepishly. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, but I see you made sure they were safe during the night. Good job!"

Sakura gave her a tired smile. "Thanks…"

"Okay, now you can take a nap! Don't look at me like that, I'm rested up enough to keep my eyes open. Besides, you really need to rest."

"No, I really want to stay awake. Besides, two people watching is better than one."

Kari sighed, "Suit yourself."

The next hour was spent with Kari constantly checking over Sasuke and Naruto and Sakura watching, nodding off every once and awhile. When she began to nod off for the 25th time, someone startled her awake.

"Some look out, you're half asleep." Both girls looked over to where the voice had come form to see the three ninja that had attacked Kabuto before the exams had started. "You don't have to keep watch anymore. What's the point after we've already found you. Now wake Sasuke up, we want to fight him."

Kari stood up before Sakura could and move out to stand in front of her. "All right, who are you and what do you want and I mean what you REALLY want? You three are the ones that are working for Orochimaru, aren't you?"

The three gasped and Sakura stood up next to Kari. "What's that strange bruise on the back of Sasuke's neck? You're behind this too, aren't you, and now you wanna fight him when he can't defend himself?"

"Y'know, it's ninja like you that make me wanna puke! Calling yourselves ninja when you just wanna take advantage of someone who is weak at the moment isn't something that you should call yourself a ninja for. You should call yourselves cowards instead!" Kari yelled.

"I can't stay quiet after hearing you talk to us like that. First I'm gonna kill these girls and then I'm gonna kill Sasuke," the one that had been sitting atop the rock said, standing up.

"Wait, Zaku." The one that was wrapped up like a mummy said, causing the one called Zaku to look at him questioningly.

"What? Why?"

The mummy like man moved forward and knelt down. "It's so obvious. This is the color of dirt that's been recently dug up. And this kind of grass doesn't grow in a place like this. You know if you're going to lay a trap, there's no point unless you make sure it's actually hidden." He lifted up the small patch of fake grass that Sakura had laid down.

"Hah! You're just a joke!" Zaku exclaimed, "You threw your kunai knife so that squirrel wouldn't spring the trap you set, huh?"

"Now we kill them." The three launched into the air and began to lunge towards Sakura and Kari, who merely smirked. Sakura cut a strand of wire that she had set up, a large log coming down from above and straight towards the three ninja. Instantly, it was blown to bits, Sakura and Kari gasping at it. The mummy wrapped one insulted Sakura, bringing tears to her eyes as they grew closer and closer. "You need to make more of an effort."

"**LEAF HURRICANE!"**

The three ninja were knocked back, and someone landed before Sakura and Hikari, the familiar bowl cut the first thing Kari noticed.

"Wh-what's he doing?" Sakura asked, Kari shrugging in response.

"Looks like you also need to make more of an effort." Lee said to the mummy guy.

"Who are you?"

"I am the handsome devil of the leaf village, and my name is Rock Lee."

Kari's eye twitched slightly. _'Handsome devil? And what's with the squirrel on his shoulder?'_

"Wh-what're you doing here, Lee?" Sakura asked, confused by the entire situation.

"I will always appear anytime and anywhere that you are in trouble, Sakura." Lee explained, and Kari stifled a giggle at how corny he sounded. Lee set the squirrel down on the ground. "This was really all thanks to you, little one. But now, it is time for you to run along." The squirrel walked out of his palm and over to where Kari was with Sasuke and Naruto, Kari petting it's head gently before asking it a small favor. Eventually, the squirrel scurried off and Lee had already began to fight with the three ninja. Kari ran forward towards Zaku and the woman, throwing several Kunai and ninja stars. The woman smirked as she ducked them and ran forward, meeting Kari with a powerful kick, sending her flying backwards and knocking the wind out of her. She landed on the ground next to Sakura, sitting up and clutching her side.

Lee was already on his knees, and he had thrown up slightly, Kari grimacing at it. Is ears began to bleed, causing Sakura to gasp. "Wh-what's wrong with him?"

"Sound waves. That's what it is! If sound waves are too powerful, or like we know, if we have headphones in and we have the music up too loud, it can damage our hearing. It's vibrations." Kari explained, narrowing her gaze at the three. "At this rate, with whatever Jutsu Lee used, he's in no condition to fight now. Which means…" Kari began, standing back up and pulling a hair tie off of her wrist, grabbing her hair and tying it up into a messy bun, reaching back and tightening her headband, "That we'll have to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves and our comrades."

Zaku smirked at Hikari, "What's the point of even trying to fight? Compared to our jutsu, any of your other skills are yesterdays news. See, I can manipulate ultrasonic waves and air pressure. I can do things you've never even dreamed of. I can obliterate boulders or even make the ground itself as soft as a feather cushion. Face it little girl, you're up against the jutsu of the future."

Sakura gasped when Zaku opened the palms of his hands, the air pressure coming out from the holes on his palms. Zaku began to chuckle at her reaction, while Kari merely glared at him and Lee continued to struggle to move his body. "Jutsu against the future or not, I don't really think that you deserve a title such as a ninja and that of shinobi! You use those stupid contraptions to do the fighting for you! **YOU MAKE NO EFFORT AT ALL! IT'S NOT EVEN REAL JUTSU!**"

"You're annoying, so you're both next!" The mummy man said, running straight towards Sakura and Kari, both girls pulling out kunai knives. Kari was ready for impact when Lee shot up and ran towards them, trying to kick the mummy out of the way.

"LEAF HURRICANE! HAH!" He never hit him because he couldn't move anymore, the effects of the jutsu from earlier still affecting him.

"Lee, no…." Sakura mumbled, staring in helplessness as the man used more vibrations, louder this time, causing Lee to simply freeze up in pain, Sakura screaming. "NO, STOP IT!"

He stopped, and Lee fell to the ground. "Alright, little man. Time to end it."

Sakura whipped out several more kunai. "That's what you think!"

He deflected them with the device on his arm, a small chuckle escaping him. "I'd almost forgotten about you two."

Hikari pulled out several shuriken and gave a battle cry. "HYAAHH! CATCH THESE!" For a moment, it looked like they would hit him, but Zaku ran in front of him, sending the flying back at Sakura and Kari with a burst of air from his palms. _'DAMMIT, I FORGOT ABOUT HIS HANDS!' _"AAAHHHH!" Kari screamed as she was kicked out of the way and back a few feet, landing painfully on her side. She glanced over to see Sakura on the ground, the woman roughly holding the pinkette long hair, pulling on it tightly enough to earn a grimace from Sakura. "Ggh, S-Sakura!"

'_I-it's no use. I've got no strength left…Way to go, Sakura. You've let everybody down again! WHAT GOOD ARE YOU? Even now, when the others really need me, I cave! How many times have they saved my neck? You'd think that maybe, just this once, when it's life or death, you'd think that just maybe I could come through….' _

As Sakura began to sob quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks, Kari sadly watched. "Sakura…"

"Okay, let's do this," Zaku said aloud, moving towards Sasuke.

Kari's caramel orbs widened. _'Crap, this is about to get ugly! Dammit, I can't find the strength to move! What do I do, what do I do, WHAT DO I DOOO?' _

'_Just because you didn't do anything doesn't make you useless. Sure, you're not that strong and all, but you know what? I think that you're really strong, but you just haven't found that strength yet. It'll come to you when you need it most, along with the courage you need to face an enemy,' _Hikari's words echoed in Sakura's head, reminding her that someone did believe in her ability to fight. Slowly, she reached for her kunai pouch and pulled one out, holding it out in front of her, the woman scoffing.

"C'mon! It's pointless, that won't work on me."

Sakura was silent for a moment before she turned around with a smirk on her face. "It's not meant for you."

"What the-"

Everyone watched as Sakura put the Kunai knife to her hair that the woman was clutching, slicing right through it. Her head band fell from her hair and to the ground, strands of pink hair flying around as she stood up, her fists clenched at her sides.

Kari smiled slightly when she saw the look of determination on Sakura's face. _'I knew you had the strength and courage inside of you, Sakura. You just needed to face a situation where you needed it the most to realize that it's been inside you the whole entire time.' _Kari said mentally, watching as the woman attacked Sakura, only to find that it was a substitution jutsu.

Sakura reappeared with several kunai knives in each hand, running straight towards Zaku. He sent the kunai flying back at Sakura, only to have them hit a log. Sakura struck from above this time, and Zaku hit her with several Kunai, only to find that she was not a substitution, but the real deal. Sakura stabbed his arm and bit down on his other one. When she didn't let go, he began to hit her head, Kari watching helplessly, reminiscing on the first time she had met Sakura.

"_Hey, aren't you the one who they're always teasing cause you've got such a big forehead?" _

"_Ino, don't say that! Can't ya see they already made her cry?" Kari scolded, kneeling down in front of Sakura and next to Ino._

_Sakura looked up at them with teary eyes, sniffling, "W-who're you guys?"_

"_Who, us? Oh, that's easy. My name's Ino Yamanaka and this is Hikari Sarutobi, but some of us just call her Kari. Who are you?"_

"_M-my name's Sakura."_

"_Huh? Hello, I can't hear you! Let's try that again okay? Who are you?"_

"_MY NAME' S SAKURA!"_

"_That's better," Ino said, poking Sakura's forehead. "So, this is the famous forehead, huh? Woah, it is kinda big! So, that's why you hide it with your bangs?" Ino asked, earning a whimper from Sakura. "Well, that's dumb, it just makes it worse. Make you look like a sheepdog." As Sakura sniffled some more, Kari smiled, Ino smiling with her. "So, you're Sakura, huh?"_

"_Uh-huh?" _

"_Hey, you know what, I've got something special for you. Come back tomorrow for it, okay?" Ino said, moving away and waving at Sakura and Hikari._

Kari smiled at the memory. _'We…we wanted to make her feel better.'_

"_There, see? What an improvement! You look a lot better!" Ino exclaimed, "You can keep that ribbon."_

"_Oh, thanks…But…"_

"_But what?"_

"_My forehead…" Sakura said quietly._

"_Oh, come on! I'm telling you that the more you try and hide it the bigger deal you make of it. And your face isn't that bad. Actually, it's a pretty good face. You just gotta be more confident."_

_Kari smiled. "Besides, if you hide your face all the time, no one will know who the heck you are! Oh, my daddy gave me some money for us to buy ice-cream with! Let's hurry and get some before the stand closes!"_

"_Okay! C'mon, Sakura! Kari's treatin', so you can pick whatever flavor you want!"_

'_I have to wonder…why we exactly stopped hanging out…'_

"_Hey everyone, I've got something to tell you! It's a secret! You'll never guess who I like! Not in a million years!" Sakura exclaimed._

"_How about you just tell us?"_

"_Yeah, just please don't say it's Sasuke."_

"_Huh, how'd you know?"_

_As the two girls talked with Sakura, Kari smiled. "Woah, what a change. Sakura's really come out of her shell, hasn't she?" Kari asked, directing the question to Ino._

"_Hmph. Sometimes I wish she would just get back in it."_

'_Oh, that's why…They both became so obsessed with Sasuke, and I just got…sick of it. But that doesn't mean that I never remember being friends with Sakura. And yet…as I lay here, I can't help but feel…guilty for ever abandoning her…I think that I was the only one who never said anything about her forehead. Even Ino said stuff about it sometimes, but me…I always kept my mouth shut when people would people would make fun of her around me.' _Zaku threw Sakura to the side, and Kari clenched her jaw. '_I never…I never stood up for her! And now, look what's happened? I'm so tired of this…I can't take it anymore!' _

"Now you're gonna pay!" Zaku said.

With every ounce of strength she could manage to muster, she stood up and ran forward, despite the pain she felt. "NO!" She ran in front of Sakura, prepared to take the hit for her, but she was shocked when she found three more people standing in front of them.

Zaku smirked. "So what is this, the second string?"

"Shikamaru, Ino, Choji…" Kari mumbled, a bit relieved. She fell to her knees, panting heavily before glancing back at where Sasuke and Naruto laid. _'This is their fight now…ugh, I think that I might of sprained something when I fell. No matter, I'll have to take care of it later. I need to get over their and make sure they keep their hands off of Sasuke.'_

_**To be continued~**_

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**A/N: Ah, so…this was okay…I guess. So, hope you enjoyed it enough to leave a review! LATER TATERS!**


	17. Sasuke's new strength

I frowned as I stopped next to Sasuke, my eyes widening when this strange type of smoke was flowing from him. I didn't know what it was, but I knew that it wasn't good. I could sense the power and evil coming from it. I removed the cloth that I had placed on his forehead earlier and replaced it with my hand, gasping when it came in contact with his forehead. "Oh no, the fever hasn't diminished any! I think instead of going down, it's gone up…" I reached into my pack for another cloth and my canteen, pouring some water on it and wringing it out. I went back to place it on Sasuke's forehead, only to stop when that purple mist got so bad, that I couldn't bear to be near it. That's when I finally realized what it was. "This is chakra…" Sasuke became completely consumed by it. I made the move to get up, but I couldn't even stand up straight. Shikamaru came to my aid, grabbing me and pulling me away as the chakra Sasuke was letting off blew, dirt flying everywhere as he stood up. I could feel myself trembling as I watched, the fear in me growing. Part of his body began to glow red, and I began to tremble even more. The glow around him disappeared and he turned to face me.

"Hikari…Who did this to you and Sakura? Who was it?" Sasuke demanded, and I took in the marks all over his body.

"S-Sasuke, what's happened to you?" Sakura asked as Sasuke stood before all of us.

He stared down at us both for a moment, his Sharingan activated. "Don't worry, I'm all right. It's only the power flowing through me. In fact, I've never felt better. He gave me this gift, and he made me understand what I am. I am an avenger. To follow my path, I must have power at any price, even if it means being consumed by evil."

'_What the hell is with him? I don't think I've ever even heard him talk this much…And those marks…those are curse marks! Oh no, Sasuke!' _

"Hikari, tell me. Which one of these people did this to you and Sakura?"

"That'd be me." Zaku said, admitting to it.

Sasuke shot his eyes towards him before turning to face him, and the curse marks on his body began to glow red again, and they actually grew, covering more of his face this time. The chakra coming from him was even more stronger from what I could sense. Zaku sent another large air wave, but before either of us got hit, Sasuke grabbed me, Sakura, and Naruto, moving us out of the way just in time. Sasuke reappeared behind him and knocked him backwards. Quickly, he made several hand signs and used the phoenix flower jutsu. Everything happened so fast, that I wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but Sasuke was behind Zaku, pulling his arms, and I could hear the sickening loud snap of an arm breaking, fear coursing through my entire being. This…this wasn't the Sasuke I was teammates with. This wasn't the Sasuke I was friends with either!

He looked over his shoulder with a sinister sneer on his face at the other one, Dosu. "It looks like you're the only one left. I hope you make things more interesting than your friend did." He slowly made his way towards Dosu, and I couldn't take it anymore.

'_Whoever the hell this is, it sure isn't the Sasuke I know!' _

Weakly, I stood up from my place on the ground and ran after him. "No! STOP!" I felt my legs give and fell, latching myself onto his back and hugging him, pining his arms to his sides. "No! No more!" he turned to look at me over his shoulder with red eyes, and I simply stared back. "Stop. No more. Please…No more, Sasuke." The curse marks began to recede and Sasuke fell backwards, taking me with him as we both fell to the ground, Sasuke panting heavily. "Sasuke…"

"You're strong, Sasuke," Dosu said, causing both Sasuke and I to look over at him, holding out his earth scroll, "too strong. We can't hope to defeat you the way you are now. We'll strike a deal; I give you this scroll, you let us go." He set it down and went to pick up his fallen teammates. "It seems we underestimated you, but at least we found out what we needed to know. For the moment, we're even, but if it should happen that we ever meet again in combat, I promise you we won't run or hide." He began to walk away, but Sakura stopped him.

"Wait! Who is this Orochimaru anyway? What's he done to Sasuke and why Sasuke?"

"I don't know," Dosu admitted, "All I know is that we were told to target Sasuke and we did." With that said, he walked away, leaving us alone at last.

"Just what am I?" Sasuke asked, holding his wrist in his wand, twitching slightly.

"That ninja! Where could she be hiding?"

Sasuke and I both turned around to find Naruto crawling on the ground, Sakura giving him a confused look. "Naruto?"

He looked over at us, his eyes widening slightly before he shot up. "Oh no, Sakura!"

"What?"

"Sakura, Sakura! Something happened to your-I mean something serious happened to your hair!" Naruto exclaimed, sliding on his knees towards us as he neared.

"Oh, that's all," Sakura said, reaching back and touching her now short hair. "I just wanted to…change my look. I like it better long, but when I'm out in the wilderness like this and I'm moving around all the time, it gets in the way too much."

Shikamaru and Choji walked over to us and we all glanced up at them. "So, what's your story? Why are you guys here in the first place, what's goin' on around here?"

Shikamaru and Choji both sighed. "Explaining everything to you is going to be such a pain."

"Everyone just showed up to help." Sakura said, Naruto looking at her in surprise.

"What?" That's when he noticed Lee talking with Tenten, and he shot up and ran over to him. "Aha, I know you bushy-brow!"

Sakura shot up after him, an angry look on her face. **"HEY! KNOCK IT OFF, YOU BETTER NOT SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT LEE!"** Sakura socked him, knocking him flat on his back, and I couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Lee, thank you," Sakura began, smiling. "Because of you, I was able to stand up for myself. And I've become a little stronger."

"And if it hadn't of been for you, me and Sakura might've been goners, so you have my thanks as well, Lee." I said, sending him a smile.

He began to cry a little. "Thank you, Sakura, Hikari. But, I guess my efforts alone were not good enough. So, Sasuke…you are as good as your reputation, just what you would expect from the Uchiha clan. To chase off those ninja you must be very strong. Not like me, I just got beaten to a pulp."

I gave him a sympathetic pat before he went on to talk to Sakura about something called 'the lotus'. I felt something crawling into my lap and looked down to see the little squirrel from before. "Ah, you came back!" It gave a squeak in response and handed me the small little pouch I had given it earlier. I opened it and smiled when I saw the herbs that I had asked it to find for me inside. _'This is the right amount. Thank you!' _It took off again and I slipped the pouch inside my bag. I stood up, regretting it as soon as I did. I wobbled, nearly falling over. I felt someone grab me before I could hit the ground, and I looked up to see that it was Sasuke.

"What did you do?"

I shrugged. "I used up most of my chakra during that fight with Orochimaru, and I got beat around by those Sound ninja a bit. I didn't get a bunch of rest last night, and I'm exhausted, plus I can barely walk, and to top it all off, I'm starving." I said, my stomach growling as I mentioned the last part. _'I was so busy making sure that Sasuke and Naruto were taken care of that I didn't even eat anything…'_ As I thought that, I instantly put a hand to Sasuke's forehead.

His cheeks turned pink slightly. "W-what're you doing, Hikari?"

"Just making sure that the fever is gone. And thankfully it is, but just to be safe, eat this." I pulled out one of the leaves from the herbs that I had.

"What is it?"

"It's a special herb. It'll keep the fever away and from coming back. Look, just eat it." He did, but he didn't like it. I pulled out his headband from my bag and handed it to him. "I think you might want this back."

He took it from me slowly, his usual face coming on. "Hn."

Despite the fact that I received no thank you, I couldn't help but smile. "You're welcome, Sasuke."

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Team 7 parted ways with Shikamaru's team and Lee's team, deciding to find somewhere suitable to rest some more and find some food. There was a small river not too far away, so they decided to stop there and set up camp. Naruto and Sasuke decided to catch some fish for breakfast while Sakura and Hikari gathered fire wood.

"Man, I hope that they manage to catch a couple of fish. I'm so hungry, I could eat a whale!"

"Well, knowing Naruto and Sasuke, they'll bring back plenty to eat. Ah, there! Now all we need is a fire starter." Sakura cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Sasuke! The fire's ready to light. We could use one of your fireballs!"

Sasuke came and used one of his fire jutsu's to light the fire. Naruto came back shortly afterwards, four fish in his arms. Kari's face fell slightly.

'_Only four? Man…I'm not so sure I'll even be full on just one!'_

"It's already been four days since the second exam began," Sasuke reminded the team, poking the fire with a stick as the fish cooked over it.

"That's right." Sakura said quietly.

"We're sure not gonna break any records, and we only have 24 hours left."

"I wonder how many of the other teams already got their scrolls and finished."

'_I wonder when this fish is gonna be done. I could eat a whale!' _Naruto thought, grinning excitedly as he stared at the cooking fish. _'Almost ready! If I move fast I bet I can snag the biggest one before the others get it. AHA! It's done!' _Before he could even manage to reach for the biggest fish, someone else beat him to it. Naruto stared in pure shock as Kari took a bite out of the fish, smiling slightly as she did so.

"Yummy!"

Naruto, though disappointed, grabbed one of the other fish and took a bite out of it, Sasuke and Sakura doing the same. The four teammates ate in silence around the fire, until Sakura spoke up.

"We have to face it," She began, a saddened look on her face, "there may not be anymore heaven scrolls left."

"Well, that's a cheerful thought." Sasuke stated sarcastically.

"Maybe so, but it's true. Look, you said it yourself, Sasuke. This is the fourth day we've been out here. That means we've already used up eighty percent of the time we've got to complete the exam. Only thirteen teams can pass because there are only thirteen pairs of heaven and earth scrolls and you've got twenty six teams, 78 candidates out looking for them. And if those odds weren't bad enough, things have gotten even worse. Don't forget that creep, Orochimaru burnt the heaven scroll we had."

"Yeah, I remember." Sasuke said, nodding for her to continue.

"The number of complete pairs of scrolls that could be find was reduced by one right there, not to mention all the ones that were found and secured by other teams since then."

"Maybe we gave ourselves too much time to rest and recover from our last fight. I don't know. What I do know is that we've got to get serious now and make up for lost time. The next enemy we face could be our last chance."

Kari sighed and stood up. "Listen to all of you. Giving up and thinking it's all hopeless now. That time we spent trying recover was needed, not a waste of time. The test isn't over yet, so don't go thinking we still don't have a chance. Now, I'm gonna go get a refill on some water, anyone wanna come with?"

Sasuke stood up and pulled out his own canteen. "I need to get a refill, so I'll go with you. We'll be back."

As they walked back down to the river, Kari spoke up. "How're you feeling?"

He was a bit taken aback by her sudden question, but he didn't show it. "Fine."

She knelt down on the ground and put her canteen in the water. "That thing on your neck isn't bothering you anymore, is it?"

He shook his head as he collected some water into his own canteen, keeping silent, his gaze wandering over to Hikari, his eyes noticing the rip on her shirt where it covered her shoulder. His eyes narrowed at the mark on it. "Did…Did that creep give that to you?"

"Huh?" He pointed to her shoulder and she looked at, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, this? No, it's just birthmark."

"It's weird shape for a birthmark…"

"That's pretty much what everyone tells me when they see it. But, it's just a birthmark. Not like it's anything important or special…" _'At least, I don't think it is…' _

Sasuke sat down next to her, closing his eyes and putting on his thinking face. Kari stared out at the water, recalling what Orochimaru had said to her before he disappeared.

"_Maybe next time we meet, I'll give you a little gift as well if you've awoken the power that only Kaori Kietsu was known to have."_

'_Mom…What power did mom have?'_

What ever power her mother had, Kari was now curious as to what exactly that power was.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Ah, okay, so because of time and such, I have decided that I will not write out the entire part where Kabuto helps them get a Heaven Scroll. I will mention how they got it, but I will not write out the entire thing word for word, because in my opinion, it's just a waste of time that could be used writing other chapters. Sorry if you wanted me to, but I don't have the time to do it. Well, I hope someone enjoyed this chapter :D Leave a review, yeah? LATER TATERS!**


	18. The Preliminaries Begin!

When Sasuke and Kari returned to the camp, they found Kabuto there with Naruto and Sakura. He had come along and stopped the two from opening the scroll, both teammates earning disappointed looks and glares from the other two teammates. Kabuto decided to give them a hand in their search for a Heaven Scroll. In the end, they had been caught in some genjutsu from the same ninja that they had fought earlier in the exam. After a while of fighting, they managed to get a Heaven scroll and arrive at the tower, saying their goodbyes to Kabuto as he went in with his team through another door. As they entered the room, Naruto frowned, looking all around.

"What's the deal? There's nobody here. I don't get it, what happens now?"

"Hold on a second, just look at that!" Sakura exclaimed all the sudden, pointing up at the wall.

"Great! What is it?" Naruto asked, staring up at the mural on the wall.

No one answered his question, Kari moving forward a bit to look at it and read it as Sakura read it aloud. "If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. This…something, is the secret way that guides us to this place today."

"This what? Or is that a secret too?" Naruto asked, glancing over at Sakura.

Kari frowned. "Looks like whoever wrote it forgot to put a word there, but…I wonder…" She stared back up at the wall, a thoughtful frown on her face as she re-read the mural several times before coming to a conclusion. "I think we're supposed to open the scrolls now."

Sasuke nodded, handing Sakura the heaven scroll and Naruto the earth scroll. Naruto gulped loudly, slowly pulling the paper apart. "Okay, here goes nothing." They pulled them open until they got to some writing, all of them staring at with surprise, Sakura frowning at in confusion, same as Naruto.

"What…what does this mean?" Naruto asked.

"A man? A person?"

Kari and Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "Oh no, this is a summoning jutsu!" Sasuke exclaimed, looking at Naruto and Sakura. "Naruto, Sakura, quick! Get rid of the scrolls!"

Not sure of how to get rid of them, the two threw them, a large cloud of smoke appearing around the scrolls where they had landed. When some of the smoke began to clear, team 7 stared at what was before them in surprise.

"What? It's you?" Sasuke asked, his eyes wide.

"Hey. Long time, no see, huh?" Iruka asked, looking up at them and giving them a crooked smile.

_**Narrowing the field; Sudden death elimination!**_

"Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked, her voice surprised sounding.

"Looks like you've gone through a lot in this test." Iruka pointed out, taking in their appearance.

"Hey, wait, what's the deal with the surprise entrance? Why are you appearing with the summoning?" Naruto asked all at once.

"At the end of the second exam, we Chunin are supposed to welcome the test-takers back, and, well…it was just good luck that I got to be the one given the important task of being the messenger for you guys!" Iruka explained, walking forward a bit.

"A messenger?" Kari repeated as Iruka dug through one of his pockets and pulled out what appeared to a be a stopwatch.

"Whoo! And you made it just in time too. And now…Congratulations, you passed the second exam! To celebrate your passing, I would love to treat you all to some Ichiraku ramen, but, uh-"

"RAMEN? Seriously? That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, tackling Iruka into a hug, while Kari hugged her stomach at the mention of food.

'_Man, why'd he have to go and mention ramen? That fish from yesterday wasn't even enough to fill me up! I'm so hungry…' _She fell to her knees, sighing sadly. "So…hungry…" Kari mumbled as Naruto went on and on, before Iruka stopped him.

"Well, I can see you're still as hyperactive as ever, Naruto."

"Hn. Now I see." Sasuke suddenly blurted, causing the attention to fall on him. "So then if we had looked at the scrolls in the middle of the exam, what would you have done to us Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka walked over to the two scrolls, picking them up with a small smile on his face. "As usual, Sasuke, you're as sharp as a tack." He turned back to face them with a serious face, showing them the scrolls. "You've figured out the secret. Part of this exam was to test how well you could see a difficult mission all the way through. Simply put, you knew opening the scrolls was against the rules of your mission and if you had tried to open one…"

"What? What would've happened?" Sakura asked.

"If a scroll was opened, we were ordered to knock out whoever opened it. Some ninja found that out the hard way."

Sasuke smirked, "Heh, it's a good thing you didn't open yours up, huh, Naruto?"

Kari giggled at Naruto and Sakura's expressions while both of them reminded themselves to thank Kabuto the next time they saw him. Sakura wiped her brow before asking the one question that they had all been dying to have an answer for. "Hey, sensei, what does that writing on the wall mean? The parchment that the letters are written on is kinda eaten away so it's kinda difficult to read it. We can't understand it."

"Oh please! Look, we passed, didn't we? That stuff doesn't matter now!" Naruto exclaimed, a vein appearing on Sakura head as he made her angry.

Iruka looked over at the floor with a sheepish smile. "Well, actually explaining that is another one of the duties that I've been sent here to take care of."

Naruto looked over at him in surprise, "What, seriously?"

"That's right. It's serious business," Iruka said, turning back around to look at the picture, "Give it a good read. There instructions that lord Hokage recorded as principles that Chunin should follow."

"They're instructions?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Heaven stands for your mind and earth for your body. If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. Get it?"

"Hmm…Nope!"

"Alright, then I'll explain. In other words, if you're weakness lies in your intellect, Naruto, then you have to make doubly sure that you work hard to learn all the information and skills that you need to prepare for your missions."

Naruto growled in annoyance, "Ugh, okay, I get your point!"

Sakura giggled at him, stopping when Iruka spoke to her. "And you; if earthly qualities you lack, train your body, prepare to attack. So if your weakness lies in your physical strength, Sakura, then you have to make sure you work hard on your physical conditioning every single day so it improves all the time." Sakura laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head while sticking her tongue out. "When heaven and earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever, meaning if your mind and body are working together as one, then even a dangerous mission can become an easy one."

"But what about that spot with the missing letter?" Kari asked, pointing back up to the mural while staring at Iruka in curiosity.

He smiled at her. "Well, that part is meant for all of you to fill in. Do you see that symbol on the scroll? It's the character for person, a reference to you Chunin. You see, these five days of survival were to test your abilities as Chunin and to see if you'd be any good at it. And I gotta say, you guys really did magnificently! A Chunin is a leader, a guide. It's a Chunin's responsibility to be aware of the strength and weaknesses of those serving under and to know what skills and training those ninja are going to need in order to succeed on a mission. You did an excellent job on this mission and I want you to remember these instructions on your next one." When he was done, he smiled at them. "Well, that's it. That was everything I was supposed to say to you."

Team 7 was quiet for a minute until Naruto saluted. "Got it!"

Iruka's smile disappeared in a small worried frown, silence coming across them. Kari scratched her shoulder as Iruka spoke up again. "Uh, one more thing; For the third exam, don't push it too far. Especially you. Naruto, I worry-"

"Iruka-sensei, when I got this headband, I stopped being a student. So you don't need to worry about me at all, not anymore! I mean, this headband is full proof that I'm a full fledged ninja, right? You gave it to me. I still may be hyper, but I'm not a kid. Like you just said, I got through the second Chunin exam and you just watch, I'm gonna pass the third one for sure!"

Kari smiled at Naruto's confidence. _'Looks like Naruto's grown up a bit…'_

The blonde grew a serious look on his face. "Right now…I'm a ninja too!"

Iruka stared at him in silence for a moment before sending him an apologetic smile. "Naruto, you're right, I'm sorry about that."

Naruto began to laugh.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

We were lead into a larger room, and I noticed that the other teams were there too, along with several of the Jonin, Anko, and Grandpa Hokage, all of them staring down at us.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam!" Anko's booming voice echoed off the walls slightly.

"Hey, look! All the Leaf Village rookies are here too." Sakura mumbled to us quietly.

"Woah, everybody's here! Old man Hokage, Iruka-sensei, and even Bushy Brow. It looks like absolutely nobody got left out this time!" Naruto pointed out to us.

I glanced off to my right and noticed that Zaku guy whose arms Sasuke had broken glaring over at us, causing me to gulp and turn away, a frown settling on my face. _'Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?' _My shoulder began to itch again so I began to scratch it. _'And why is my shoulder so itchy all the sudden? Did I fall in poison ivy or something?'_

"All right, now pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you. You better listen carefully, maggots!" Anko warned.

Grandpa Hokage stepped forward a bit and cleared his throat. "First, before I tell you what the third exam entails, I want to explain something about the test itself. Listen closely now, it's something that all of you need to understand. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams. Why do you suppose our country holds in conjunction with our allies? To raise the ability levels of the shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations to be sure, but it's important that you understand its true meaning. The exams are, so to speak…" He stopped, pulling his pipe from his mouth and blowing out a puff of smoke. I really wish he would stop smoking, but like they say, old habits die hard…or was it bad habits? Eh, either way, it was a habit that he would never rid of. "They're a representation of the battle between allied nations."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" The girl that I recognized to be on Lee's team asked.

"Now, if we look at our history, all the countries that we're currently allied with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each others military strength meaninglessly, those nations picked nations to do the battle on behalf of their countries at a mutually selected location. That is how the Chunin selection exams originally began."

"Well that's great, but why exactly do we have to go through the exams then? I mean, it's not like we're doing this to pick Chunin to go fight." Naruto actually had a good point.

"Well, actually, there is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select shinobi worthy of becoming Chunin, that's just not the whole story. These exams also allow for a place where shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives. Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to attend this exam as guests and also possibly to seek shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, those rulers will watch your battles and take notes of the strength of each ninja and each nation is developing. If there is a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja and conversely, the request for the countries deemed weak declined. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better our position when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries so it's important to show how much military strength our family has."

"Ok, but even so why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kiba asked, Akamaru yipping at his owners statement.

"The countries strength is the villages strength. The villages strength is the shinobi's strength. And the true strength of the shinobi is only achieved when it's pushed to its limits such as in a life or death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of its shinobi and hence the strength of the nation itself. It's because this is an exam where your life is on the line that it has meaning. And it's for this very reason for the strength of the nation that your forerunners do well in this exam. It's truly a dream worth striving for."

'_Then why in the name of kami did he say friendship before if all we're doing is fighting allied nation's shinobi?'_

"The third exam is a fight for life with the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake." As soon as grandpa Hokage finished, the silence was drawn out, lasting for a good 10 seconds at most before Naruto scoffed slightly.

"Heh, well he's sure convinced me."

Grandpa Hokage nodded, "Very well then! Now, listen closely, I'm going to tell you exactly what you'll all be doing on the third exam." He cleared his throat and someone landed in front of him in a kneeling position.

"Lord Hokage, before you do please allow me, Hayate Gekko, appointed as proctor of the third exam, to speak first."

Grandpa seemed thoughtful for a moment before nodding, "So be it."

"It's nice to meet you all," he began, stopping to cough before he turned around, and I smiled when I saw him. "There is something I would like all of you *cough, cough* to do before the third exam." I let my smile disappear as he began to cough again.

Hayate Gekko, one of the few people that I consider close enough to me to call them uncle. Hayate was one of the Jonin that tutored me, so I've known him since I was just a small child, which is why I call him uncle Hayate. For as long as I've known him he's had that nasty cough pretty much his whole life, and I remember asking about it once when I was little. He merely smiled at me and patted my head, telling me that it wasn't anything big. I asked him if he was taking medicine for it and just patted me on the head again, saying "There are just some coughs and illnesses that even medicine can't rid of." After that, I never asked again.

After some more coughing, uncle Hayate looked up at us with a blank face. "Uhh…we have to have a preliminary exam before we can move on to the real one."

"Huh?"

"A what?"

**"PRELIMINARY?"** Shikamaru and I both shouted at the same time.

"Just what do you mean by that?" Shikamaru went on to ask.

"Uh, I'm sorry sensei, but I really don't see the point." Sakura said, and I couldn't agree more with her on that.

"Yeah, how come we just can't move on to the third exam?" I asked, my hands on my hips.

"Uh, well you see, the first and second exams might've been too easy. The fact is that we never expected so many of you to still be here."

**'_TOO EASY? YEAH RIGHT, I ALMOST DIED OUT THERE!' _**

"According to the rules of the Chunin exams a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."

"But is that really even fair? I mean, we just spent five days out there in a freaky forest fighting for our lives!" I exclaimed, waving my arms around.

"It's just that we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So if there are any of you that feel you're not in top physical condition, now's your chance to-" he stopped to cough a moment, before looking back up at us, "sorry about that. As I was saying, any of you that don't feel up to this now's the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"C'mon, you mean right now?"

"Well, generally, that's what right now means, Kiba…" I muttered quietly.

"Oh yeah…The winners will be determined by one on one combat, sudden death. So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now's the time to raise your hand."

I paled as uncle Hayate added that in, gulping loudly. _'Man, I'm tired, hungry, and I'm pretty sure I smell bad, and now, I have to worry about sudden death? But…I have some fight left in me, so I'm just gonna save my energy by not raising my hand…AHHH, STUPID SHOULDER! WHY WON'T YOU STOP BEING SO ITCHY?' _

I began to scratch at it again, stopping as I heard a quiet grunt coming from next to me. I looked over to see Sasuke wincing slightly, holding his shoulder slightly. "Sasuke?" He ignored me, continuing to wince as he held his shoulder. That's when I remembered the mark that Orochimaru had given him…It was still causing Sasuke pain. And to think, he told me that it wasn't bothering him anymore! Stupid Uchiha pride…

"Sasuke, listen to me; You have got to quit." Sakura said from her spot behind Sasuke, my eyes widening at that, Naruto's reaction similar to mine. "You've been like this ever since you've tangled with Orochimaru, and it's getting worse."

Sasuke looked off to the side, scoffing a bit. I felt myself frown. "It's that mark he put on you, isn't it?" I asked quietly.

"You can't deny it Sasuke." Sakura said. I mentally winced as the memory of Sasuke back in the forest after we were attacked by those sound ninja came back, the fear running through me a bit before I shook it off. I didn't want Sasuke quitting just like that….but I don't want to ever see him like that ever again. "Please…" Sakura mumbled, her voice choked up. I noticed that she was crying. "Please, Sasuke. Quit now before…I don't know, I-I'm scared."

I moved over to the pinkette, still scratching my shoulder as it continued to itch. "Hey, now…" I patted her shoulder sympathetically as she wiped her tears before looking back up at the Uchiha.

"C'mon, you know as well as I do that you're in no condition to keep on fighting!"

"Shut-up, Sakura!" Sasuke hissed.

"You think I'm blind or something?"

"Will you please be quiet?" Sasuke asked.

"You don't think I see the suffering you're going through?"

"That's enough, Sakura."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do it to yourself. I'm going to tell the about that mark. Then maybe you'll-"

I stopped her from raising her hand, and she looked at me with wide eyes. I shook my head, and then I looked to see Kabuto raising his hand.

"Okay, you got me! I'm out."

Naruto began to object to it, and Kabuto began to explain his reasons for quitting, though I really wasn't paying attention. Once he was gone, Hayate asked if there was anyone else who wanted to leave. Another person bailed out, along with his entire team, leaving the number at 22 now. Once they were gone, Hayate asked again. Sakura began to raise her hand again, but Sasuke stopped her this time.

"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark!" Sasuke warned her, and she began to tear up again, making the move to raise her other hand, only this time, I stopped her again, earning a teary wide eyed stare from her.

"Kari, why? Why are you not stopping him? How can you bear to watch it as he tears himself apart?"

I sighed, "Simple. I don't watch. I mind my own business and stay out of it. It has nothing to do with me, and with you. I know that you're scared, Sakura, and I'll admit, I'm just as scared as you are. But I'm not going to try and stop Sasuke. If he wants to do this, then I'll mind my business and let him go on with his. If he wants to go through the pain, then I'll let him. It'll teach him a lesson about never fighting when in pain, but I'm sure he can endure it. Sure, it worries me that he's not quitting with the condition he's in, but everyone has to endure many things in life, even pain. It is the way of the shinobi. Besides, he won't listen anyway once his mind is made up." I smiled slightly. "He is Sasuke Uchiha, after all."

"I told you before. What I am is an avenger." Sasuke said, causing us to look at him. "For me, this is something far more than just an exam. Whether I become a Chunin or not means nothing less to me. Am I as strong as I can be? All I want is the answer to that. I can only find out by fighting the strongest, the best, and the best of the best…are all here. This is the path I walk, not you or anyone can change that."

Despite the harshness, I couldn't help but smile. Only to have it disappear when Naruto began yelling.

"What're you biting her head off for, you idiot? It's just because she cares about you!"

"Naruto…you're one of the ones I want to fight the most."

Well, at least his competitive side was beginning to surface again…

"Hikari, you're another one I want to fight the most. After all, your skills are…interesting, and since you won't tell me, I guess I'll have to find out for myself."

Aside from the fact that he basically told me that he wanted us to fight each other, I still let myself smile.

"Alright then, we will now begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one on one individual combat at full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are 22 of you remaining, so that means we will need 12 matches. The surviving candidates from these matches will advance to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or concedes defeat, or is rendered physically incapable of continuing the contest. Naturally, those who are losing are urged to concede defeat promptly to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as proctor I'm given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless to save as many lives as possible. Now it's time to reveal what fate has been chosen for you." One of the panels on the wall opened up to reveal a large screen, and Uncle Hayate began to explain what it was for. "The names of each pair of opponents are chosen completely at random. Before each match, these names will appear on the display behind me. As there's nothing more to say, let's begin. In a moment, the names of the first to opponents will appear."

We all stared up at the screen and watched as it lit up, names being shuffled around. It stopped quickly and I nearly fell down from the shock as I read the two names, on catching my attention greatly.

_**Yoroi Akado VS Sasuke Uchiha**_

* * *

Sasuke smirked as he read his name on the screen. _'Hn. Didn't waste any time, did they?' _another wave of pain went through his shoulder and he winced for a moment before he let his smirk reappear.

Kari caught the look that Sakura was giving to Sasuke so she reached in her pocket and pulled out the little pouch of herbs, pulling one out. She grabbed Sasuke's hand and put the herb in it. "Eat it before you start your match."

He glared at her. "No, this stuff is gross. I've already eaten it once, and I'm not eating it again."

Her eyes hardened at that. "Listen, Uchiha, if you're in pain the entire time during your stupid match, you won't be able to fight correctly. That herb will numb the pain in seconds, so eat it!"

He scoffed, eating the leaf just so he wouldn't have to listen to Kari yell at him.

"All right, those whose names have been drawn come forward." Hayate said.

Before Sasuke moved away, Kari patted him on the back, sending him a wide grin. "Go kick that guys butt, Sasuke."

He smirked at her words before walking forward to the front. "You have been chosen for the first match. Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha. Are there any objections?"

"None here."

"No."

"Okay, everyone other than the two opposing candidates will now clear the area and move to the upper level.

Everyone did as Hayate ordered, everyone slowly clambering up, Naruto, Sakura, and Hikari staying behind, Kakashi approaching them. Naruto jumped up and down with joy when he saw the sensei.

"Hey-hey! Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi stopped directly behind Sasuke. "Sasuke," he began, the Uchiha glancing over his shoulder at him, "don't use your Sharingan."

"So, you know about it?"

"If that mark on your neck gets out of control your life could be in danger."

"…I'm aware of that."

"Just to let you know, if it gets to that point, I'll have to step in and stop the fight. Hikari may have medicine to dull the pain, but not to keep you from dying." He began to walk away again. "Good luck."

Kari was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall when she felt someone put their hand on top of her head. She peeked one eye open and stared up at the owner of said hand.

"Listen, Uncle. I know I may be shorter than you, but must you really always do this?"

Asuma chuckled slightly, his cigarette dangling from his mouth. "I'm proud of you. You did well getting this far."

Kari smirked at him. "And before you know it, I'll be able to kick your butt and surpass you one of these days. Just wait old man, that day is going to come eventually."

He frowned at that. "Who are you calling old, squirt?"

She pointed at him. "You! Just face it, if I don't beat you sooner or later, than that stupid cancer stick that you have in your mouth is gonna kill you before I get the chance! Smoking is bad!"

Asuma laughed at that slightly, ruffling her hair and earning protests from her. "Well, that won't happen for a really long time, just like you surpassing me won't happen for a while."

"Hey!"

He shushed her and pointed down below. Hayate had signaled for the match to begin. Instantly, weapons were sent flying at each other, Sasuke falling to the ground. Yoroi nearly stabbed him with a kunai as he appeared before him at a blinding speed, Sasuke managing to roll out of the way just in time. Sasuke managed to knock his feet out right from under him.

"Hey, he got him!" Naruto exclaimed.

But before anyone could comprehend what had happened, Yoroi had hit Sasuke in the head, the Uchiha's hand falling to the ground. Kari gasped, shooting up and running over to her teammates, leaning over the railing like they were. She pulled away when her shoulder began to itch again, and she instinctively shot her hand to it to scratch at it. _'How? How could that guy take him down just like that? Is…is that even possible? Gah, stupid shoulder! I seriously think I got into some poison ivy while out there, or maybe I got bit by some bug and it's giving me a rash! OOOH, ITCHY! GRRR, C'MON SASUKE! KICK THIS GUY'S ASS SO I CAN GO AND BEAT UP WHOEVER I GET PUT UP AGAINST AND GO HOME TO FIND SOME OINTMENT FOR THIS THING!'_

"Um, H-Hikari?" A shy voice asked, Kari's attention turning to her left to find Hinata standing there.

She smiled. "Oh, hey, Hinata! What do you need?"

Hinata held a small little bottle of some sort in her hands. "W-well, I couldn't help but notice that you've been scratching your shoulder the entire we've been here, a-and I thought that maybe you would like some ointment to put on it."

Kari wanted to shout with joy as she took the ointment from Hinata, instantly opening it and gathering some on her fingers before gently rubbing it on her itching shoulder. She sighed with relief as the itching slowly went away.

"Thank you, Hinata. That really helped."

"Y-you're welcome."

Kari turned back to see Sasuke barely moving out of the punches sent at him, her hands slamming down on the railing. **"COME ON, SASUKE! EVEN I KNOW THAT YOU CAN FIGHT BETTER THAN THAT! QUIT FIGHTING LIKE A GIRL AND MAN UP! SHOW THIS GUY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE PUT UP AGAINST AN UCHIHA!"**

Sasuke glanced back at her, Yoroi coming at him and ready to end it once and for all, only to have Sasuke duck down and kick him beneath his chin, sending him flying up into the air before he leaped up after him while everyone watched in awe. Kari expected it to end quickly, but Sasuke froze, and Kari frowned when she noticed why.

'_The curse mark…He can't fight with it like that…Come on Sasuke….Fight it. Don't let it win…' _

And just as if Sasuke had heard her silent orders, the curse mark receded and Sasuke roughly hit Yoroi and hurled him to the ground. **"LIONS BARRAGE!" **

A pained cry came from Yoroi as he was hit, and Sasuke flew back, landing face first. Everyone watched in silent worry when Hayate moved forward to check out the damage on Yoroi. His attention was pulled away from him though as Sasuke stood back up weakly, panting heavily as he wiped some blood from his mouth.

"I'm declaring this match over," Hayate announced, standing back up, "As the winner of this preliminary round, Sasuke Uchiha advances to the finals."

Naruto and Kari both shouted with excitement over Sasuke's win, Sakura laughing happily. Kakashi appeared down below and behind Sasuke, and Naruto grinned widely. "You okay? Hey, Sasuke! You won, but in such an uncool way. You came out looking like you were the one that got beat up! HAHAH!"

Sasuke and Kakashi seemed to talk about something before Sasuke stood up and trailed behind Kakashi, making it obvious that they weren't staying for the next round. Kari frowned slightly. "HEY, SENSEI!" Kakashi turned around to look up at her. She grinned widely. "Be sure to hurry back so you can see the rest of us go, 'kay?"

He nodded, "I'll be sure to get back as soon as I can, Hikari." And with that, he left with Sasuke while the preliminaries continued on.

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**A/N: Ick…this wasn't the best thing in the world, but at least it's something, right? Just to let yall know, the itchy shoulder thing is actually kinda important to this part of the story, so don't go thinking that it doesn't mean anything just yet, because it does. You just won't find out until the next chapter! Haha, well, hope you enjoyed! **


	19. True Power! The Godaigon Unleashed!

"Are you really sure this will help?" Sasuke asked, his annoyance clear on his face as he shot a glance over his shoulder at Kakashi.

Kakashi continued writing the seal incantation on Sasuke's back with his blood as Sasuke glanced at him. "This thing on your shoulder is a curse mark. If I don't seal it now, than it will just continue to suck up your Chakra and does anymore damage. You're lucky that you're even alive right now."

"Tch, whatever."

Kakashi finished the last mark and pulled his bloodied hand away. "Okay, it'll be over quickly. You ready?" Sasuke nodded and Kakashi put his hands together and performed several hand signs. "Cursed Sealing!" He placed a hand on top of the mark on Sasuke's shoulder, and instantly, the boy screamed in pain as the markings on the floor and on his body slithered forward and into the curse mark on his shoulder. Like Kakashi had said, it was over instantly and Sasuke fell forward a bit, panting heavily. "There. Now the next time that curse mark starts acting up, the seal should keep it in check. But remember," Kakashi began, and Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at him, "this cursed sealing jutsu is only as strong as you are. It derives its power from the strength of your will. If that will ever weakens, if you ever begin to doubt yourself, the curse will be unleashed with all its fury." As soon as he finished, Sasuke fell forward with a tired groan, and Kakashi smiled at this, "Amazing…too tired to even argue."

"My…how you've grown," at the sound of the voice, Kakashi stiffened, "to think you've become strong enough to perform the cursed sealing jutsu."

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, his eye narrowing slightly. "You…"

Orochimaru smirked. "Long time, no see, Kakashi."

"Orochimaru…."

"No offense, Kakashi, but I didn't come to see you. My business is with that boy behind you." Orochimaru said, smirking as Kakashi glared.

"What do you want with Sasuke?"

"Heh, you've acquired something new. How I envy you." His statement earned a small gasp of surprise from Kakashi. "I don't believe you had it the last time we met. Did you? The gift. The Sharingan in your left eye. It's only fair that I want it too. The Uchiha power."

"What's your game?"

"The Sound Village that everyone's curious about…It's mine, you see I created it. I think you understand without me saying anymore."

Kakashi scoffed, "You and your wild eyed ambition."

"Hehe, oh yes indeed. As always. But to play the game as you put it, I need pieces on the chessboard. Willing pawns to do my bidding."

"And Sasuke is one of your pawns?"

"Oh, not a pawn. He's a far more valuable piece than that. But as for the others…well, you know how it is in a game of chess. Pieces must be sacrificed." With that said, Orochimaru began to slowly make his way towards Kakashi. Kakashi instantly went into action and got into a stance.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" An orb of electricity began to gather in his hand he had facing the ground. "I don't care if you are one of the Sannin, the three shinobi of legend. But I swear, if you take one more step towards Sasuke, one of us will die here!" Orochimaru stared at him for a moment before he began to laugh maniacally, Kakashi's glare hardening. "Funny, is it?"

"Poor Kakashi. All your noble efforts all in vain."

"What?"

"Do you really believe that seal will hold? Do you think that you can keep him from what he truly desires? You know I'm right, the heart like his that only hungers for one thing will not be denied. No matter what obstacles you put in his path, but he's an avenger, isn't he?"

"You think that you cant take advantage of that? Not Sasuke!"

"You cannot stop me. At some point, he will come to me…in search of power. And at some point, I might return to give the little Sarutobi girl a gift similar to Sasuke's. After all, I want the power she possesses, too." Kakashi froze as Orochimaru said this as he was walking away. "Unless of course you carry out your threat to kill me. Now is your chance."

Kakashi made no move to do anything, and Orochimaru disappeared.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"**MAN, I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY TURN! COME ON COME ON! HURRY!"**

Kari sighed in annoyance as Naruto jumped up and down anxiously. She meant to lean back against the wall, only to find herself leaning against someone's legs. She looked up and grinned widely. "Sensei, you came back! Is Sasuke gonna be okay?"

He smiled. "He'll be just fine. He's resting in the infirmary now." _With the ANBU Black opps guarding him._

She grinned, "Oh, that's great!" She exclaimed, turning back to face the screen.

"Okay, here we go! Please, let it be me, let it be me!" Naruto chanted, Lee chanting with him.

"No, it's my turn, my turn!"

The screen stopped with two names, and Naruto and Lee hung their heads down in dejection while Kari grinned excitedly. "Yes! It's my turn!" When her opponent walked down onto the floor, her eyes narrowed. _'Gah, it's that chick that kicked me around during the last exam! Man, she was the only one whose jutsu I didn't see, but I have a feeling it's gotta deal with sound waves, so, just to be safe…' _She pulled out ear plugs from her bag and held them in her hands. She jumped up and did a fist pump, only to stop midway and bring her arm back down to rest at her side as the itch she had earlier on her shoulder came back again. She scratched at it as Naruto and Sakura encouraged her.

"Go kick that lady's butt!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Good luck, Kari!" Sakura said, giving her a grin.

She grinned and Kakashi patted her head. "You'll do just fine."

She nodded and jumped over the railing, landing on both feet with a wide grin on her face. "All right, get ready to memorize the name Hikari Sarutobi, because it's gonna give you nightmares once I'm done with you!"

_**True Power; The Godaigon Unleashed!**_

Hayate glanced at both of them. "The 6th match between Hikari and Kin may now begin!"

Kin smirked at Hikari. "Your move first, little girl."

Hikari mentally growled at her nickname, but smirked nonetheless. "Well, if you insist!" She put her hands together and made a hand sign. "Ninja art: Rose thorn Kunai Jutsu!"

Several roses appeared in a puff of smoke, the thorns popping out from the stem to reveal the shape of kunai knives, all of them flying towards Kin. The sound ninja dodged them, barely escaping one of them. She sent another smirk at Kari. "You think a few little flowers are gonna hurt me? Well, you've gotta a lot to learn if you wanna beat me! HAH!" She threw several Senbon Kari's way, the needles missing Kari as she moved out of the way, slipping the ear plugs in her ears quickly. Kari glanced at the needles that had imbedded themselves into the wall, scoffing when she saw the bells, though she couldn't hear them.

"Please, that trick is so old. Besides, it'll take more than stupid needles to hurt me!" She whipped out a kunai and ran forward, Kin pulling out her own Kunai, both knives meeting and creating sparks. Kin pushed Kari back and threw more senbon at Kari, only to have them hit the wall again. As Kin manipulated the bells, she frowned when she found Kari wasn't reacting to the sound of them, gasping when Kari cut the wire she had attached to them.

"What? But how?"

"Simple. I had a feeling your ability had something to do with sound like the others, so I prepared myself before walking out here. I'm guessing you have no more bells with you since you wasted about 12 senbon with bells on them, so I don't think I'll be needing these earplugs anymore." She removed them and pocketed them before performing several hand signs. "Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!"

Roots shot up from the ground and charged at Kin, wrapping themselves around her. Kari smirked, only to have it disappear when smoke appeared around Kin, disappearing to reveal a log instead. _'Substitution? Wh-' _Her thoughts were interrupted by someone coming up from behind and hitting her full force, knocking her back a few feet, sending her flying into the wall. Kari grunted at the impact, sliding down to the floor. It didn't hurt that much, but Kari had a feeling that she probably wouldn't feel it until tomorrow. She stood back and glared at Kin. "Was that supposed to knock me down for good? Please, it'll take more than just a stupid hit like that." Kari ran forward, her arm pulled back. She made the move to punch Kin, only to stop when she was midway towards Kin, falling to her knees onto the ground and clutching her shoulder that had been itchy earlier.

"Ugh!" _'It…it's not itching anymore, it's stinging!'_

Naruto's eyes widened, "Did she get hit?"

Sakura shook her head vigorously. "No, she didn't even get close enough to get hit. Something's wrong…"

Kin began to laugh slightly. "And you said that a small hit couldn't knock you down, yet here you are, on the ground without me even hitting you. You're not as great of a fighter as I thought you were! Fighting me is just pointless!" She whipped out more senbon and threw them at Kari, the needles hitting Kari's arm and left shoulder as she blocked them from hitting the front of her body. She grunted in pain as they sunk their selves into her skin.

Kari reached up and pulled them out carefully, throwing them to the side and putting her hands together and performing several hand signs. "Wind style: Scattering flower dance!" The cyclone of flower petals went straight at Kin, the sound ninja getting caught in the cyclone, though it seemed useless when it resided, not a single mark left on her. Kari clenched her jaw and made the move to pull out a kunai, only to be stopped as Kin came running at her at a blinding speed, kicking her up into the air and following after her, landing punches all over the place. Kin finished it by throwing Kari to the ground, which she hit hard.

Kari hit the floor, hard, wincing as aches went through her entire body, the stinging on her shoulder now burning. She panted heavily as she laid face first on the floor, everyone staring at her in silence. Kin smirked when she didn't get back up.

"I told that fighting me was pointless, little girl." She pulled out a kunai and threw it at Kari, the knife imbedding itself in Kari's back, a pained grunt coming from her. "You should've quit while you still had the chance!"

Naruto slammed his fists down onto the railing, an angry expression on his face. "Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Kin smirked at him and his anger grew slightly before he glanced back down at Kari. "Kari, don't listen to her! You can do it! I know you still have some fight left in you! KARI, GET UP AND KICK THIS LADY'S BUTT!"

Kari grunted in pain as she heard the blonde yelling. _'I…I don't know how I can beat her and win. All my attacks are pointless against her, even my best jutsu's are pointless! She even managed to escape the uproot tree bind jutsu and the rose thorn kunai's, and the scattering flower dance didn't leave a scratch on her…My chakra is almost gone. I barely have any left now. But…I can't even stand the idea of letting her win without any damage whatsoever. I won't…I won't let her win. __**I REFUSE TO LOSE!' **_With that one thought in mind, she weakly pushed herself up onto her knees, breathing heavily as she did before she managed to get up on both feet, swaying slightly before regaining her balance. Her hair shadowed her eyes as she opened her mouth and spoke.

"Listen here, you freak; I've spent a whole week in a forest, nearly getting eaten by giant snakes and bugs, and nearly getting killed by enemy ninja. I've had to eat bugs and plants for these past few days, and I've hardly gotten any sleep, let alone enough time to rest," she paused as the burning in her shoulder intensified, but she continued, "If I lose here, all of that would've been completely pointless. And that is why I refuse to lose to you right here. I will not let someone who thinks they're better than anyone else in this room win against me!" She looked back up at Kin, her eyes opening up, no longer their usual brown, but her left eye was blue while the right eye was green. **"I REFUSE TO GIVE UP!" **The birthmark on her shoulder began to glow a light purple, everyone's eyes widening slightly at the sight.

Asuma's cigarette fell from his mouth, his eyes widening at the scene beginning to unfold below. Kakashi glanced over at him before glancing back down at his student, "Asuma is that what I think it is?"

Asuma nodded, his hands gripping the railing. "Yeah…It is."

Naruto frowned at them. "Huh? What do you mean? What is it?"

"The Godaigon has finally been activated."

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion, "Godaigon? What the heck is that?"

"A very rare bloodline limit trait that is very powerful. It allows the user to use the five elements to their own use for just fighting, jutsu, or both. Earth, water, fire, wind, lightning…Someone who possesses the Godaigon can use each element." Asuma explained, most of the rookie's listening to him.

"How come that mark on her shoulder is glowing though?" Ino asked.

"It's a type of birthmark. It's shape is that way for a reason though, in the shape of a flower. When someone is born with the Godaigon, people instantly know that they will possess it when they get older by the birthmark. It's what marks her as a carrier of the Godaigon."

Sakura frowned. "But when I asked Kari about it, she told me that it was just a plain old birthmark." Had Kari made that up?

Asuma sighed, frowning slightly. "That's because she didn't know about it. Actually, none of us thought that she was going to even inherit it." Asuma explained, frowning slightly as he thought back to a few years ago.

"_Kaori, how can you not know? She has the birthmark, doesn't she? How can you not be sure that she'll inherit it?"_

"_Yes, she has the birthmark, but I can't automatically say she will inherit the Godaigon. Since it comes from my side of the family, and I'm not really a Sarutobi, she may just end up a normal ninja. The birthmark means nothing at the moment. If she ever does activate it though, she'll have a hard time controlling it the first time."_

A strong gust of wind blew hard around Kari and hit Kin head on, sending her flying back into a wall. Everyone was beginning to get on edge as the wind seemed to pick up more and more.

"Lord Hokage, if she keeps this up she'll kill that girl and destroy the tower!" One of the Jonin exclaimed.

The third looked up at the upper deck, his eyes locking with Asuma's before he looked back out at Hayate. "End it."

"Right…That's enough!" Hayate yelled. Instantly, the wind stopped and everyone's attention turned to him. He walked over to the fallen Kin, taking note that she was alive, just a bit beaten up and unconscious. He stood back up, "As the winner of this round, Hikari Sarutobi will advance on to the finals."

Everyone instantly began to celebrate the Sarutobi girls win, though it was cut short when they began to shout in worry as Hikari fell forward, landing on the ground with a thud. Instantly, several medics were running over with a stretcher, picking Hikari up carefully and placing her on it before they took her away, leaving everyone to watch them take her away.

* * *

Konohamaru sighed as he had his head down on the desk. He glanced over at Iruka-sensei, smirking when he noticed that he wasn't even paying attention. He lightly elbowed Udon. "C'mon, let's go sneak outside! Iruka-sensei is kinda distracted, so this is our big chance!"

"Going somewhere, Konohamaru? You're not planning on sneaking out again, are you?"

"Uhh, I need to use the bathroom!"

"LIAR! You're lucky I haven't told your sister about your skipping classes! It scares me to imagine what kind of punishment she would give you!"

"**AH, NO! SHE'LL KILL ME IF YOU TELL HER!"**

"Maybe the punishment she gives you will teach you a lesson about not skipping and lying!"

"**AHHHH!"**

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**A/N: Honestly, this could've gone better, but things just went the way they did, and I felt like it was okay with how it ended out. So, yeah! The itchy shoulder thingy has been figured out! Haha, yeah, so next chapter should be up soon! LEAVE A REVIEW PLEASE! LATER TATERS!**


	20. Hospital Escapade

A/N: Wow, you guy's rock with the reviews and faves! I can't even tell you how many of you have faved and alerted this story, but it's a lot of you, so thanks for that and the 42 reviews! Okay, so…yeah. Not much more to say now, except to read, review, and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Okay, let's get this straight. Naruto is not mine. It is property of Mr. Masashi Kishimoto. Hikari Sarutobi is mine, along with this story here. **

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Brown eyes slowly fluttered open to stare up at a white ceiling. Kari carefully sat up, looking around the room. She frowned when she didn't recognize the room, but when she saw the IV in her arm, she remembered where she was.

She was still in the hospital. Had been for at least three days now.

She looked at her shoulder and her frown hardened at the birthmark that had always been there. It was now black, as if it had been drawn on with ink, no longer the fading brown color. She touched it to see if it was indeed just a drawing, but when no ink got on her fingers, she sighed when she realized it was indeed permanent. Her arm was a little sore still, and her back ached. From what she could tell, she was better than the day before, but could she walk?

'_Only one way to find out.' _She slid her legs over the side, but before she could manage to set a foot on the ground, one of the nurses came running in, a panicked look on her face, her hands now on Kari's shoulders, gently trying to get her to lay back down in the bed.

"Please, Miss Sarutobi! You can't leave your bed yet!"

"**HEY, STOP IT! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" **

"If you don't stop that, I'll have no choice but to call in the doctor and have him sedate you!"

"**LET HIM TRY! I'M A NINJA! I CAN JUST USE SOME GETAWAY TECHNIQUE!" **

"Miss Sarutobi, if you move anymore, you'll reopen the stitches on your back!"

"Hikari, that's enough!"

The nurse and Hikari stopped bickering and turned to the doorway where Asuma stood, leaning against the doorway with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, a small frown on his face. Hikari's face brightened up slightly.

"Gah, Uncle! Tell them to let me outta the hospital already! I can move around and stuff now!"

"Hikari, you had severe injuries, one of which was a broken arm and you almost bled to death from that gash on your back. And yet you think that you can leave the hospital already?" She shut-up after that, pouting as the nurse removed the IV in her arm before she left the room. Asuma walked in all the way and closed the door, walking over and putting the flowers in a vase. When he saw Kari still pouting, he sighed. "Would you stop it with the pout?"

"Why should I? I know that you didn't come here to bust me out now."

"No, I didn't, but I did come here to talk to you about something."

"What?"

He pulled up a chair and sat down. "I think it's about time someone told you about your power."

"Huh?"

"Your mom didn't want you to know about it until she was certain you were going to inherit it. But…well, I have the job of telling you the truth about your mom. First of all, she wasn't part of the Sarutobi clan. Kaori Sarutobi was Kaori Kietsu before she married your father. The Kietsu clan is a very old clan that possess the special Kekkei Genkai, the Godaigon, which allows the user to use any of the five elements for their own use. Your mother possessed it, which is where you get it from. And during your match…You unlocked it."

Kari frowned as he explained all of this to her. "Why didn't anyone ever say anything about her possessing something like that? How come no one told me?"

Asuma closed his eyes, wishing that hospital allowed smoking. "We were afraid of your safety and hers."

Her eyes widened, "Wha…what do you mean?"

"Your mother was one of the most powerful ninja of her clan, and the first one to had ever managed to completely master the Godaigon at such a young age. She was known as the Elemental Ninja because of her power. People were fascinated by Kietsu Clan's Kekkei Genkai, which led to people desiring it for their own terrible intentions. She was afraid that if you found out, that you would try to activate at a young age, even though she wasn't even sure that you would inherit it because of the genes. She didn't want any outside force knowing and coming to try and take you so they could use you. She had us promise not to say anything about unless you activated it. And now you know the truth about it."

She was silent for several minutes, allowing the information sink into her before she asked her big question. "Uncle, is there enough time to learn how completely control it in time to learn for the exams?"

He smiled. "Well, I'm glad you asked. By the way, your opponent in the finals is Dosu, and since you already know how his jutsu works, you can come up with a plan to fight him. Now, as for learning to control the Godaigon before the finals, I'm sure you've got plenty of time to do so."

"YES! So, you'll train me then?"

Asuma sweat dropped, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Er, well, you know I'd love to, but I've gotta train Shikamaru for the finals."

"**WHAT? BUT I'M YOUR NIECE AND YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THING THAN I DO! DON'T YOU LOVE ME ENOUGH TO TRAIN ME TOO?"**

Asuma instantly patted her head, "Of course I love you, Hikari, but you have to remember, Shikamaru is my student, and you're not mine, but my niece. Kakashi is your teacher and you are his student."

"Yeah, but he's probably gonna be too busy training Sasuke or something! Hey, maybe Uncle Hayate could train me!"

Asuma pulled his hand away from her head and shook his head, a somewhat sad look on his face. "I'm afraid that he's not going to be able to."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Yesterday morning…Hayate was found dead near Kikyo Castle."

As soon as those words left his mouth, any idea of training or escaping the hospital ninja style was wiped away from Kari's mind. "D-dead? BUT HOW?"

"We're not sure yet, but…the Hokage and Black Opps are doing everything they can to find his killer." He assured her, trying to give her a smile, though he stopped when he noticed the sad look on her face. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know that you were close to him."

"Yeah…I'll have to be sure to go get some flowers for him when I get out of here."

"I talked to the doctor before I came in. He said with any luck, that you could as early as later this evening or tomorrow morning. Do you want me to come get you?"

"No, that's okay. I can check myself out."

He smiled. "Well, I better go find Shikamaru so I can get his training started. I'll see you later."

Once he was gone, she laid back down, hugging her pillow to her chest. It took all of her strength to keep herself from crying over the death of Hayate.

"Don't tell me that you got that beaten up."

* * *

My eyes shot open and I sat back up, my eyes widening when I saw a familiar someone smirking at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you? The nurses told me that you were so beaten up that no one could even visit you! You're in no shape to-MMMMMFFFF!" He clamped a hand over my mouth and shot me a look.

"And if you keep yelling like that, then those nurses will come in here and make me get back in that stupid bed. Listen, we're breaking out."

The joy that those words brought me is to big for me to describe in words. I reached up and pulled his hand away from my mouth. "Wait, why are we both breaking out?"

"Kakashi told me to meet him somewhere and to bring you along. He said that we're going to train for the finals." Sasuke explained to me, tugging my arm and pulling me up. I wobbled a bit and he had to steady me. "Can you walk?"

I nodded, "Well, I think so. I tried to check earlier but the nurse came in and stopped me from trying to." I took another step forward, and this time I didn't wobble. "Hey, before we go, can I stop by my house so I can change?"

He rolled his eyes. "Look, it's not like we have forever to get on our training."

How rude. "Look, I'm sorry that I'm a girl and I need to change my clothes and stock up on weapons, but you don't see me making a complaint about training, do you?" He looked away and I smirked. "Thought so. Now, let's go!"

* * *

"So, you're here to see Sasuke Uchiha and Hikari Sarutobi? Please keep in mind that both of them are still very weak and that they both need their rest, although the doctor did say that Hikari might be able to go home as early as tomorrow. You'll have to keep your visits short, five minutes is all I can give you." The nurse explained to Ino and Sakura as they walked down the hall.

"All right."

The nurse stopped in front of the door and knocked. "Sasuke? May I come in?" She slid the door open and walked in. "You have a couple of pretty visitors here-" She gasped loudly and dropped her clipboard when all she found was an empty bed and an open window. She ran over to the closet and opened it, only to find the hangers vacant of any clothes. She ran out of the room to inform the doctor, Sakura and Ino following after her. They sat down on a bench and waited for her to come back. When she did, she had an even sadder look. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but not only is Sasuke gone, but Hikari is gone as well. We'll keep looking for them, but if you see them, please contact us right away."

"We will…"

_**

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_**Meanwhile, with our two escapees~**_

"Are you okay, Sasuke?"

"Yes, Hikari."

"…Aren't you still in pain though?"

"No, Hikari."

"Should you even be moving, Sasuke?"

"Listen, I told you already, I'm fine! So would you quit asking me every 5 minutes?"

Kari sighed as they continued to walk through the canyon to the designated place Kakashi had told them to meet him at. Normally, when it was the entire team and not just her and Sasuke, she was the one who would let Naruto and Sakura do all the talking, but since they weren't here, it was up to her to keep it from getting too quiet. "Well, I'm sorry for being concerned about your health. Remind me next time to not care about it."

"Hn. Not like anyone asked you to be concerned anyway."

She sighed at that, not really having a good enough comeback for it. So, she decided to ask something else. "Hey, Sasuke. When's your birthday?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I like knowing when someones birthday is so I can say happy birthday to them or give them a card or a present. So, when's your birthday?"

He looked back ahead, not giving her another glance. "….July 23rd."

She smiled slightly as she pulled out a piece of paper from her bag and wrote on it.

'_**Sasuke's b-day~ July 23**__**rd**__**.' **_

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"When's your birthday?"

"Oh, it's August 1st."

He nodded, not saying anymore after that. Although Sasuke did not like admitting it out loud, he found Hikari's company somewhat enjoyable and much more tolerable than Sakura's or Naruto's.

"Hey, I forgot to ask earlier, but who's your opponent for the finals?"

"Gaara of the Sand."

"**WHAT?" **Kari screeched, running around in front of Sasuke and causing him to stop and stare at her in annoyance. "Gaara? You mean that kid who looks like he always want's to kill someone right on the spot? He's your opponent?"

He moved around her and continued walking. "Yeah."

'_Man, no wonder sensei is training him. Where Sasuke is now, he doesn't even stand a chance against a guy like Gaara…Heh, I'm one to talk. I probably wouldn't last 2 seconds against that Dosu guy…I just hope that this training will help me learn to control and use the Godaigon properly…And help me perfect that new jutsu I've been working on.'_

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?"

Sasuke sighed, "I said this is where we're supposed to meet Kakashi. So, I suggest you stop walking forward anymore or you'll step over the edge and fall."

Looking at him confusedly before looking forward, she let out a shriek as she realized she would've fallen over the edge of the cliff if she had taken one more step. She hurriedly moved back over to where Sasuke was and plopped down on the ground while the Uchiha stayed standing. "So…When is Kakashi-sensei gonna be here?"

"If I knew, don't you think I would've said something about it?"

'_Sheesh, bite my head off, would ya? Kakashi-sensei, if you don't show up soon, then I might throw Sasuke off the cliff…'_

The sound of someone grunting and rocks falling caused both Genin to move over to the edge, Kari smiling when she saw who it was while Sasuke kept his usual blank face, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey!"

"What's up?" Sasuke asked, and Kakashi chuckled slightly.

"So, both of you finally showed up?"

Kari grinned. "Despite the fact that we're wanted patients on the run, of course we came!"

Kakashi got all the way up from the ledge he had been hanging on and untied his arm that he had tied behind his back. "Well, it was nice of you not to just leave me here to find that none of you came."

"By the way, Sensei, why did you ask me to come along with Sasuke? I mean, shouldn't you just be training him since the Sharingan is something you can help him with? I mean, why not just pick Naruto to come train with you and him?"

Sasuke growled slightly at the mention of the blonde knuckleheads name, while Kakashi simply smiled. "Because you and Sasuke are the only two that seem to get along the best and because Asuma asked me to train you since he's too busy with Shikamaru's training."

"Oh, did he now?"

"Yep, and my other reason is because you two would be the best ones to face off."

"Face off?" Sasuke repeated.

"But…why?"

"Whenever in battle, you may end up having to face one or more of your friends. Whether it's because of genjutsu or reality, it never hurts to be prepared for it early."

"Yeesh, talk about the hard truth…" Kari mumbled, staring down at the ground. "But, it would just be like an exercise? A practice battle, right?"

Kakashi patted her head as he saw the look of worry flash in her eyes. "Yes, think of it as an exercise. Now then, we have a month to get the two of you ready for the exam, and this canyon is where we will be doing the training. First thing tomorrow morning, we'll start. Now, I'm going to go find some firewood, so you two just stare and…well, do whatever you want. I'll be back!" With that said, he poofed away.

"Uh, but…We're in a barren wasteland. Where the heck is he gonna find a tree to get wood from?" Sasuke didn't reply, just leaned back against a boulder, his eyes closed and his arms across his chest. Kari sighed at his silence, turning around to have her back facing him while she stared out at the setting sun. Sasuke opened his eyes, narrowing them when he saw her shoulder where the now very noticeable birthmark was.

Cold hands startled her as Sasuke touched her shoulder, poking at her birthmark. She looked at him in confusion. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Just…looking."

She felt her cheeks heat up before she turned back around. "It won't come off. It's permanent."

"It wasn't like this before when I saw it back at the river. It's like…like that mark that creep gave me." Sasuke said, rubbing his shoulder where the curse mark was.

She frowned as he said that, still poking her shoulder gently. "Does…does it still hurt? The curse mark?"

He shook his head. "No…"

The wind blew by, blowing wisps of her hair around. She reached back and pulled Sasuke's hand away from her shoulder. "Could you stop poking me now?"

He smirked. "Why? Is it annoying?"

A sharp poke to the forehead knocked him back some, and Kari giggled before turning back to watch the setting sun.

'_Maybe…this will be fun.'_

**

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**A/N: Eh, this was actually pretty boring. But, we get to have a time skip soon, so yay! REVIEW!**


	21. And so it begins! Final exam training!

**A/N: The reason I actually enjoy writing this story is because I can come up with new ideas for it fast enough. Plus, you guys review really fast and a lot, so I appreciate that :D! Yep…so, go to this link when you get to the part of the chapter where Kari is practicing on her own! R&R! ENJOY! /watch?v=8xMtPyyInY8&feature=related**

* * *

Ugh, next time Kakashi-sensei has us come and train in a canyon, remind me to bring a sleeping bag…or a pillow, at least. Sleeping on the ground is really not comfy, especially when it's rock.

"Why are you still laying there? Kakashi told us to get up 10 minutes ago."

I glanced over at Sasuke to find him standing over me, his arms crossed across his chest and his usual annoyed expression on his face. I sat up, wincing as I heard my back pop. Gross. Carefully, I stood up and stretched my arms, bending over. At least 10 different things popped, and trust me, it sounded really gross. I rubbed the back of my neck as it popped.

"Well, looks like someone finally decided to wake up." Kakashi-sensei stated as he walked over to us.

"Remind me why we're training in this canyon again?"

"Because I'll be teaching you both powerful techniques, and of course, we wouldn't want any casualties."

Eh, I guess that made sense.

"Now that Hikari is finally up, we can start with the training."

**And so it begins; The training for the final exam!**

"Now then, first thing's first: let's discuss the Godaigon since you're new to it, Hikari. I'm sure that Asuma went over the basics with you, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. You mean there's more to it?"

Sensei nodded. "That's right. Now as you already know, the Godaigon allows the user to use any of the five elements of nature for their own use of fighting or jutsu. You've already done this."

"Huh?"

"Your uproot tree bind jutsu. It's an earth style jutsu, and earth is one of the five elements. Now that you've activated the Godaigon, the jutsu will be twice as powerful and effective. Try it out."

I scratched my head, "Er, well…That's gonna be kind of hard to do."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"There aren't any trees around."

"Oh, well just try it anyway."

"But it won't work if there aren't any trees around that have roots. In case you forgot, we're in a barren wasteland sensei."

He sighed, "Hikari, remember what I said? Now that you've activated the Godaigon, any of your elemental jutsu's will be twice as powerful and effective. Just try it and trust me. But first, try activating the Godaigon on your own this time instead of pushing yourself to the limit like you did before."

I nodded in understanding and made a hand sign, closing my eyes and concentrating my chakra. "Godaigon!"

* * *

Her eyes flew open and Sasuke stared at her in surprise when he noticed her eyes were both different colors, one blue while the other was green. The birthmark on her shoulder began to glow a light purple. Kakashi smiled.

"Now, try using the uproot tree bind jutsu."

"Right," she put her hands together and performed several hand signs, "Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!"

Unlike before where only 3 or 4 roots shot out from the ground, at least more than 10 came shooting out and up into the air, dirt flying all over the place due to the speed they came out at.

"And what was that you were saying about not being able to do it because there were no trees?" Kakashi asked, smiling slightly.

"That…**IS SO COOL!**" She laughed happily as she manipulated the roots movement, sending them all over the place until she allowed them to return to the ground. "So, basically any of my other jutsu's, like the scattering flower dance will be like this? More effective?"

"That's right."

"Awesome! Now all I have to do is learn to use other elements and I'm set!"

"Now, don't go getting too ahead of yourself, Hikari. There will be plenty of time to learn how to use the other elements, but don't forget that Sasuke's here for training too."

"Oh, right!" She exclaimed, scratching the back of her head sheepishly as she deactivated the Godaigon. "Sorry, I just a little excited."

"So, now that you understand how it works, let's begin with the first part of your training, which will be taijutsu. Sasuke, I want you to try and get the first hit in."

Kari's eyes widened at the unexpected order that the Uchiha was given. "Wha?"

Sasuke aimed at her face, only to miss as she ducked down in time and knock the Uchiha's legs out form under him, causing him to fall right on his back. She flipped back several feet away and giggled before she came running at him. He blocked her fists with her arms, the same way she was blocking him. The more he go into it, the more quicker he seemed to move, causing the brunette to frown.

'_The one thing I will never get used to is his speed.' _

"Hn, you're such a girl. You can't even hit me properly."

She glared at him before she leaped up into the air and landed behind him, throwing her foot up and kicking his back, sending him flying. He glared up at her as he got back to his feet.

"Just because I'm a girl, you shouldn't ever underestimate me, duck butt."

His eye twitched. _'Duck butt?'_

"Okay, okay, that's enough with the taijutsu. You've both got that down perfectly. Hikari, I want you to practice by yourself for the rest of the day while I train Sasuke."

"Got it!"

* * *

"Okay, let's see…" I mumbled as I dumped out several different scrolls from my bag that I had found stored away in my house. It was pretty obvious that they had belonged to my mom when I had opened them, since they were all elemental jutsu's. After practicing and getting the hang of several of them, I stored the scrolls back into my bag before I pulled out something that was going to help me win this final match.

After all, I think music against sound would be an interesting thing.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

About five clones of me popped up, one of them grinning. "So, what's going on?"

"We're going to work on that jutsu I've been trying to create. I think that we might just be able to get it perfect today."

"Great!"

I performed several hand signs, "Instrumental summon!"

"I call the drum!"

"I'll take the harp!"

"Dibs on the recorder!"

"Tambourine!"

I laughed as they all grabbed said summoned instruments before I looked at the last remaining clone. "You can be the one I practice it on."

"You got it!"

I moved over to my bag and grabbed two sticks that each had a long strand of turquoise ribbon on them. After each of my clones were all situated around me and I was in the center of the circle that they had formed, I performed a hand seal. "Ninja art: Musical dance of the ninja!"

Instantly, my clone that had the harp began to strum it, the recorder soon following after, playing it in tune with the harp. I closed my eyes and concentrated my chakra to the ribbons in my hands, letting my body and mind relax. When my clone that had grabbed the drum began to play it, I reopened my eyes and began to vocalize, my clones joining me with the singing, and dance, throwing my ribbon out at my clone that I was practicing on and wrapping it around it.

To explain exactly how this jutsu works, it requires a summoning jutsu called instrumental summoning. I added in the ribbons myself as means of weapons, which is what I'm using them as. The user basically moves around with the ribbons in a certain pattern, the music locking up an opponents chakra so they can't try to use any type of jutsu while someone is doing this. The opponent gets so distracted with their sudden lock up of chakra and trying to throw weapons at the user and the clones playing the instruments, they don't pay attention to the ribbon. Because of this, it allows the user to wrap the ribbon around them. Because of chakra flowing into the ribbon, it does severe damage to the person caught up in it. It's basically like beating up your opponent without using your hands.

Not only is it tricky to explain, but it's really hard to do. Since a summoning and a jutsu can only be performed with certain amounts of chakra, it makes it harder to keep something like this going. If you can't maintain the amount of chakra needed for it…

All the sudden, the harp stopped and poofed away, the other instruments following after it shortly. I sighed, let my ribbons hang at my sides.

That happens. If you can't sustain the exact amount, the summoning ends in a matter of minutes, and some cases, seconds.

My clones poofed away as well, and I sighed and put my ribbons back in my bag. I noticed that the sun was beginning to set so I crawled up on a boulder and sat on it while watching the setting sun. I let my mind wander on things, like how Konohamaru was doing, what was happening in the village, and how Naruto was preparing for the finals. I frowned when I remembered that I still had yet to go get flowers for uncle Hayate's grave. I'm still getting used to the fact that he's gone and I'll never see him again.

Having to come with the terms that you'll never see the face of someone close to you ever again…really hurts.

**

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**A/N: I made this boring, huh? Sorry ^-^;! Well, next chapter I'm gonna give it a time skip, maybe a two week or one week, depending on how I feel. And don't worry, there will be some Sasuke and Kari in the next chapters, I promise! **


	22. The Importance of Friendship

2 weeks went by with the two Genin and Kakashi. Sasuke and Kari had both improved a great amount with their skills within those 2 weeks. Kakashi was impressed by how well they were able to grasp new material and techniques in a matter of days. Hikari had been able to perfect the Godaigon to her best ability, and Sasuke had become sharper with his Sharingan.

All in all, Kakashi was proud with their progress.

But, just because their progress had improved, that didn't mean that they got any closer. After Hikari had dubbed Sasuke with the nickname "duck-butt", he had so kindly given her the nickname Karasu, "crow". As he thought about it, Kakashi sighed. The two actually seemed to get along better before he got the idea to train both of them for the finals, and were now calling each other bird names and bird parts.

And to think, it was all because Sasuke let his male pride and ego get the best of him.

_**Flashback-Several days ago~**_

_Sasuke grunted slightly as he fell onto his back while Kari happily pinned him to the ground by placing her foot on top of his chest. She grinned down at him happily as she struck a victory pose._

"_Man, that was easy! But fun at the same time! I really thought you were gonna beat me for a moment." _

_He glared. "You cheated. You used the wind to push me over so I wouldn't hit you."_

"_I didn't cheat! Besides, how can I cheat at sparring? It's impossible!"_

"_Not unless someone makes it into a competition."_

"_And when did this become a competition?"_

"_Right when we started sparring. And I've beaten you the most, so technically, I'm in the lead. You just got lucky today, since you cheated."_

"_You're more of the cheater with your Sharingan! That's why you've beaten me so many times at this! You're able to knock me down on my back before I can even get in a good hit! You should be happy that I'm actually getting better at fighting you and evading your attacks! You just don't want to admit that you got beaten by a girl!"_

"_I didn't say that."_

"_But you implied it."_

"_Cheater."_

"_I didn't cheat!"_

"_Cheater."_

"_I dare you to say that again."_

"_You're a cheater, Kari."_

"_No, you're the cheater, Duck-Butt!"_

"_Karasu."_

"_**WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, DUCK BUTT?"**_

"_You're really bothersome, Karasu-chan."_

"_**AGGGH, SASUKE, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"**_

_**Present time~**_

Currently, the two were sitting around the small fire while Kakashi was leaning back against a boulder, indulging himself in completing the current Make-out-paradise book he was reading.

Sasuke glanced over at Kari, and at the same time she looked up at him. He glanced away, and Kari dully glared at him and he glanced at her again. This time, he didn't look away, but Kari was not going to let him win…even though it wasn't a competition in the first place, but still, Sasuke was going down! And so, the staring contest began.

Kari glared harder.

Sasuke did nothing.

Glare.

Nothing.

Glare.

Nothing.

Glare.

Nothing.

When she got no reaction, she stuck her tongue out at him while pulling her eyelid down.

Twitch.

'_Victory.' _Kari thought while smiling victoriously. "Looks like I win again, duck-butt!"

"Shut-up Karasu…"

Kari's eye twitched and Sasuke smirked. One point for Sasuke. The match was even now.

"You know Sasuke, if you like Hikari so much, you shouldn't really call her a crow."

Sasuke glared at Kakashi while Kari stared over at him angrily, her cheeks reddening slightly as she pointed at him. "Shut-up sensei!"

Kakashi sighed. "And to think, I thought that training you both would result in you two becoming better friends. Maybe I should just give up on the both of you and send you back to village so the doctors can scold you for leaving the hospital without authorization."

"**AHHH, NOOOO! DON'T DO THAT!" **Kari exclaimed, Sasuke moving over to flick the back of her head.

"Would you stop yelling, Karasu…"

She huffed, pushing him away from her. "Sensei, I think the problem here is Sasuke. He thinks that just because I beat him at a little friendly sparring competition that I'm a cheater! His male pride is more important than anything else in the world!"

"You cheated, Karasu-chan…"

**"DUCK BUTT!"**

"That's enough from both of you!" Kakashi yelled, his angry tone silencing them both. "Hikari, I thought that you were more mature than anyone else on this team, but from what I can see now, your maturity level is just as bad Naruto's. Sasuke, you're thinking that you're better than everyone again, and because of that, you don't want to admit to yourself that you got beat by a girl. The way I see it, you two need to learn how to get along better. That's the first thing we're working on tomorrow."

* * *

"What. The. Hell…" Kari muttered under her breath as she stood next to Sasuke, staring at the piece of paper he had in his hand.

_**Duck-butt and Karasu,**_

_**Since you two are in need of a small training mission that will help you get along better, I'm giving you one. Before you two ate that ramen in a cup last night, I slipped in some sleeping powder so you wouldn't wake up while I moved you out here. Since I can't seem to get you two to get along, then I might as well just make you get along on your own. Here's the mission.**_

_**Princess rescue- escort mission. Get out of this forest and get back to the camp. You're both at least 5 or 10 miles away from the campsite, so it will take you awhile to get back. Duck butt, keep the princess safe.**_

**The Importance of Friendship**

Sasuke crumpled up the piece of paper that Kakashi had left and threw it off to the side, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking forward a bit. "Let's go, Karasu…"

She glared at him, but stayed silent as she followed him. Eventually, she spoke up though. "Is this gonna be dangerous? I mean, I'm pretty sure that he set up traps to try and get us to fail, and I don't have my kunai pouch. Sensei must've taken it away from me." She was ignored, causing her to stop and glare at him again.

When he noticed she had stopped following him, he turned around to look at her. "Hurry up, Karasu, if you slow us down then I'll have to drag you…"

She huffed and walked past him at a fast pace. She ignored Sasuke's presence as he walked behind her. It was like that for about an hour, until a kunai whizzed right past Kari, hitting a tree right behind her instead. Before either of them could react, Hikari was grabbed and up in the air, staring tree branches and leaves whizzing past her.

"Hello, Hikari…" Kakashi greeted as he easily moved from one branch to the next with Hikari tucked under his arm. "Having fun?"

She glared at him as he asked that in such an easygoing tone. "What do you think?" Another kunai whizzed past them, causing Kakashi to turn around. He smiled when he saw Sasuke right on his tail, an angry look on his face.

"Looks like Sasuke caught up…If you don't get your princess back than I'll fail the both of you."

Kari shrieked at the mention of both of them failing before she did her best to glance back at Sasuke. **"MOVE A LITTLE FASTER FOR THE SAKE OF US BOTH!"**

Sasuke grunted before throwing several wired shuriken as Kakashi's feet, the wire wrapping itself around his ankles and causing him trip, thus resulting in him accidentally dropping Hikari. She screamed, performing several hand signs. Roots shot up from the ground and grabbed her, setting her down on the forest floor gently.

She didn't even have enough time to catch her breath before Sasuke grabbed her and drug her forward. Eventually, the made it out of the forest and back into the wasteland, where the canyon could bee seen several miles off. They stopped and Sasuke turned around to look at her. "We're probably 8 or 6 miles away from the campsite. If we move fast enough, we can reach it in at least an hour or two."

**

* * *

**

**2 hours later~**

"What was that you were saying about getting their in an hour or two?"

"Shut-up…"

Heh, he really doesn't like admitting that he's wrong, does he?

Things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, right? Well, let me tell ya, when thunder starts rumbling across the sky and clouds start to hide the sun, than believe me, things get at least 10 times worse. I felt a raindrop hit my arm, then another, then another, until rain was pouring on us. My legs felt like noodles, I was hungry, and exhausted. Now, I was getting soaked.

I fell to my knees and groaned. "Don't tell me we're gonna keep walking through the rain?"

"Unless you want us both to fail, than yeah."

"I demand a break until the rain lets up!"

"No."

"Fine! Then you can just leave me behind! I'd rather fail than ask you for anymore help!"

I heard him sigh loudly before he walked back to me and pulled me up. "You're really annoying, you know that? Because of you, we're in this mess. If you hadn't of cheated and admitted that I was the winner, than we wouldn't have to do this stupid thing, Karasu-"

I stopped him right there by my fist meeting his cheek. His head whipped to the side before he looked back at me with a bloody lip. "Stop calling Karasu! I'm not a fricking crow! I have a name, a real name, and it's Hikari Sarutobi! **HIKARI TAIGA SARUTOBI! H-I-K-A-R-I S-A-R-U-T-O-B-I! NOT STUPID KARASU, YOU UCHIHA BASTARD!" **

0o0o0o0o

Sasuke stared at her as she panted from all the yelling. He wanted to let himself smirk at how he had made her so mad, but he refrained from doing so.

'_Finally stood up for yourself…' _

"You're really troublesome…" He mumbled, grabbing her wrist and dragging her along through the rain. He managed to find a small little cave that was nice and dry, both of them sitting down in it while the rain continued to pour outside. They both stayed silent, until Kari got up and plopped down in front of Sasuke.

"I'm sorry…"

"What're you apologizing for?"

"For calling you duck-butt and punching you. It's just…you made me so mad when you called me a cheater, and I couldn't help it with calling you duck butt since your hair looks like a duck's ass…"

"Hn."

"Remember that day when those sand Genin showed up and that one kid tried to beat me up? Remember before all of that, how I said that we were friends? I…I haven't been a very good friend, Sasuke. I've been mean to you…But I really am sorry for being so mean and rude. You said that we weren't exactly friends, but I still said we were. I figured, when we were first starting out as Genin, that you really didn't like me at all, just like Naruto and Sakura, but…when you jumped in front of me back at the Land of Waves and stopped that ninja from slicing me up…I changed my mind about you. I always thought you thought you were better than everyone else, but when you willingly jumped in front of me…I figured you cared enough about your teammates. That's why…I took care of you in the forest of death. I was afraid that you were going to die…It scared me."

Sasuke had a look of surprise on his face as she admitted all of this. Without thinking, he reached up and rubbed the curse mark as he thought back to when Orochimaru gave it to him. He looked back up at her to find her staring at the ground. Sasuke realized why he was always nicer to her than Sakura and Naruto. It was because she was someone who didn't care what people thought about her. She was always willing to help someone if given the chance. She had always been like that, even back to the academy days when they were all small children. She was an independent person who was willing to do anything to keep everyone happy. Even if it meant letting someone walk into what could very be their own death, like she had done for Sasuke before his preliminary match. Despite the condition he had been in, she had told Sakura to let him continue.

Although he would never admit it, he liked Hikari. A lot. But he would never admit it out loud to himself.

"I'm sorry too…Hikari. For calling you Karasu and a cheater."

The rain stopped and the sun came out as soon as he said that. Hikari smiled brightly, poking him in the forehead with two fingers before she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

"Apology accepted, Sasuke."

"Hn."

In the end, the two both passed Kakashi's test. And after that, there was no more name calling.

Though the two would still use the names to annoy each other in friendly ways.

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**A/N: And there! I give you some small fluff between the two! Ahaha, yeah…so…Leave a review! **


	23. Interesting fight Sharingan VS Godaigon!

**A/N: Well, I'm glad to know yall liked the last chapter, because I know I liked writing it :D! Lol! Okay, so for those of you that have read my other stories before, you all know that music is one of my many muses, and that I love giving my OC's their own themes. Now, picking a song for Hikari was actually really difficult, so I picked several themes that will revolve around emotions that she let's off, or when she's reminiscing of sad or happy things…Yeah, well for her main theme, I picked Setsunasa wa Itoshisa, which is actually one that I thought would suit Hikari. There are others that I have, but I'm still debating whether they suit her or not…Well, here's the link to Setsunasa wa Itoshisa! ****youtube .com/watch?v=EVklvApxf2A**

**Yup, so…enjoy this new chappie!**

* * *

Kakashi glanced back and forth between his two students, both staring at each other from across the campsite. The final exam was in 5 days, and today was the day that Sasuke and Hikari would really be tested. It was time to see them use all their skills they had learned over the couple of weeks they had been out here against each other.

"Before I say anymore, I'd like to say that I'm extremely proud of both of you and your progress, and I don't doubt that you both will put up excellent fights with your opponents during the finals. Today is the day where you put your new skills, techniques, and moves to the test. Today is the day where you both put your skills against each other."

**An interesting battle; Sharingan VS Godaigon!**

Kari frowned slightly, "You mean, you want us to fight? Right now?"

"Well, of course right now. I wouldn't have said to do it right now if I meant next week. I want to see you both give it your all."

"Hn, that's not so hard, but I'm not sure if Hikari can take me." Sasuke stated, a smirk appearing on his face as Kari stuck her tongue out at him.

"Better watch what you say, Sasuke…I might end up beating you to a pulp."

"All right, since you both look like you're ready, then begin!" Kakashi ordered.

_'Sharingan!'_

_'Godaigon!'_

Sasuke smirked, his red eyes gleaming in anticipation while Hikari's green and blue orbs held mischief and excitement, though to be honest, she was anxious.

And even though Sasuke couldn't see it, Kakashi was able to see her anxiety and sense it a mile away.

Sasuke moved first, starting off by darting towards Kari. It looked like he was actually going to hit her, but at the last minute, she dodge rolled to the side, performing several hand signs. "Wind style: Scattering flower dance!"

The cyclone of petals flew right at Sasuke, the Uchiha dodging it each time Hikari moved it toward him. He performed several hand signs quickly, and Kari didn't even need to wonder what he was doing when she sensed his next jutsu.

'_The fireball jutsu!'_

Sasuke burnt the cyclone of petals away before he charged towards Kari again. He tackled her to the ground, only to have her kick him off. She jumped backwards, using taijutsu to counter him as he came at her again. He managed to knock her backwards, sending her flying. She winced as she landed, panting heavily.

"Don't tell me that it's over already, Karasu-chan." Sasuke said, a smirk on his face.

Kari stood back up and dusted her self off before smirking back at Sasuke, the mischief in her eyes brighter than earlier. "Don't count on it, duck-butt. I'm just getting started." The wind picked up around her, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

'_I can't see what she's going to do! What the heck is this?'_

Hikari ran forward, the wind moving along with her. She leaped up into the air and performed several hand signs. "Wind style: Hurricane Gale!"

A jet of powerful wind hit Sasuke, knocking him up into the air. _'When did she learn this? And how come I wasn't able to see it before?'_

He hit the rock wall, grunting slightly, though the pain wasn't that bad to him. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"Ninja art: Rose thorn kunai jutsu!"

As the kunai thorns came flying at Sasuke, he moved quickly, dodging each one, smirking up at Kari. "Well, that was sort of pointless."

"Really? I'd look at those thorns again if I were you."

He glanced down at one that was off to his side a little ways, his eyes widening. _'Paper bombs?'_

Kari smirked as the paper bombs exploded. When the smoke cleared, a log laid in place where Sasuke had been moments earlier. She hadn't even noticed that he had ended up behind her until he kicked her in the back, sending her flying. As she landed on both feet like a cat, she studied him.

'_His speed is incredible…I can only think of one way to stop him and win this. I have to use that jutsu…It's a long shot, but maybe this time it will work just right.' _

Quickly, she made a couple of hand signs. "Shadow clone jutsu!"

Four shadow clones appeared, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _'Does she really think that shadow clones can take me down?'_

She performed another set of hand signs. "Instrumental summon!"

Sasuke frowned as the four clones grabbed the instruments, settling around in different areas of the campsite. '_What kind of jutsu is this?' _

"Ninja art: Musical dance of the ninja!"

Before Sasuke could manage to react, he was listening to what was probably the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. The music playing had his attention, Hikari's voice gaining it shortly after the music had begun. Kakashi frowned when he noticed that Hikari began to dance around in a certain pattern, waving two turquoise ribbons around as she moved. And not even a minute into the whole act, Sasuke silently gasped as he felt all of his chakra suddenly feel confined, locked up if you will. Suddenly, the ribbons Hikari had been dancing around with began to glow, and said girl suddenly disappeared.

"What the-" He stopped as he was grabbed and pulled up into the air quickly, glaring at Hikari as she had him wrapped up in the ribbon. Instantly, pain went through him as the ribbons stayed around him. Hikari sent him a smirk before she began to spin the ribbons around with Sasuke at a fast pace, before falling towards the ground.

"Ribbons of death!"

Kakashi watched in surprise as Sasuke hit the floor, dirt flying everywhere because of the impact. Kari landed on both feet, returning her ribbons to a pouch on her hip. She instantly grinned.

"It worked!"

"YEAH!" The Kari clones exclaimed, before they, along with the instruments, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

When the dirt began to disappear, Hikari was left wide eyed when a log lied in place of Sasuke.

'_WHAT? BUT HOW? WHERE-!' _A hand grabbed her ankle from under ground before she was flung to the side, hitting the ground hard. Sasuke came running at her with incredible speed, and Kari tired to use the uproot tree bind jutsu to stop him, but she found that she had no strength. _'I used up too much of my chakra! I-I have no energy to stop him!'_

Sasuke was so close now, he could hit Kari in seconds and be the victor. But their sensei had other things in mind.

"Sasuke, don't hit her."

He stopped, his hand right in front of her face, both of them looking over at him. "What?"

"Hikari has no more energy to fight with, in case you couldn't figure that out when she wasn't even bothering to protect herself. That last jutsu took a lot out of her. But nonetheless, you're the victor, Sasuke. Hikari," Kakashi began, meeting the Sarutobi girl's Blue and green eyes, "you put up an excellent fight, and for a second there, I thought you might have actually won. Despite the fact that you used up pretty much all of your chakra and energy, you are ready for the finals. That much is clear to me. I'm proud of you."

She grinned tiredly, sighing loudly before she fell onto her back and stared up at the sky. "Once again, I've had my butt handed to me on a platter by the great Uchiha!"

Sasuke smirked while Kakashi grinned, "Well, I think that's enough for today. It's getting late, and I need to go find us something to eat." With that said, he disappeared to go find their dinner for the night.

* * *

I watched as the flames flickered back and forth from the fire that Sasuke had started for us. Sensei went to go find us our dinner for the night about 2 hours ago, and it's almost dark now and there are even a few stars out already. I'm starving….

"Nice night out, eh?" I asked, falling backwards onto my back and staring up at the stars that were already coming out.

"Hn, I guess…" Sasuke said, poking the fire some with a stick. "Hey, Hikari?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You know how I said that you're a bit better than Naruto and Sakura, but you're not that great?"

"Yeah, what about it? Am I worse?"

"No…you're much better than them combined. And remember how I said I hate an awful lot of things?" I nodded, and he continued. "You're one of the things that I actually don't hate."

I felt a grin tug at my lips, and my face heat up. "Well, I'm glad. Because I don't hate you at all. Sasuke?"

"What?"

"I'm glad we're friends."

"…Me too."

**

* * *

****A/N: I couldn't help but feel Sasuke was a little too OOC at the end, but I think this went well over all. Next chapter should be up soon! Leave a review!**


	24. And so it begins! The Final Competition!

Konohamaru sighed as he sat on the swing at the academy. It had been practically a month, and the final exam was in several days, and still, his sister hadn't returned. He was beginning to worry, and every time he asked his grandpa or uncle about it, they would simply say that Hikari would be back soon.

But when was soon, exactly?

"Why so glum, little brother?"

He looked up and was instantly on his feet, running toward the person who had asked. "SIS! YOU'RE BACK!" Konohamaru exclaimed happily, hugging the older siblings waist.

Kari smiled, laughing while patting his head. "Of course I'm back. You didn't think I would just leave like that, did you?"

He shook his head, and Kari smiled before taking his hand in hers. "Let's get some ice cream and we'll talk."

_**Earlier~**_

"_Hikari, you've done well over this past month. You've perfected the Godaigon, and have improved immensely in some of your techniques. That's why I'm letting you return to the village early."_

_She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "But, what about Sasuke?"_

"_I have one more thing I need to teach Sasuke. I promised Asuma that I'd let you go a little early so you could show him what you learned."_

_She nodded in understanding. "I see. Well then, I guess I'll just go now. Tell Sasuke I said bye."_

_**Present time~**_

"So you've been training this whole time for the finals?"

"That's right. I've been busting my butt this whole month with practicing new techniques and stuff." Kari explained, digging through her pockets and fishing out a key for the front door of their house. As soon as it was unlocked, she pushed it open, walking inside and into the kitchen. She regretted it as soon as she entered, though. Dishes were piled up in the sink, not washed. Boxes of food were scattered throughout the counters and on the table.

All in all, the kitchen was a mess, something that it hadn't been when she had left.

"My…My kitchen…"

"Hey, look who's back!" Kari and Konohamaru both turned around to find Asuma standing in the living room, scratching his head sheepishly.

If it were visible, then everyone in the room would've been able to see the angry flames in Hikari's eyes. "Uncle, what're you doing here?"

"Oh, well they were doing some fumigating on my apartment floor and no one is allowed back inside for several days so I just decided to hang out over here until I could go back."

Instantly, Hikari was on him, shaking him angrily. **"UNCLE! DIDN'T GRANDMOTHER EVER TEACH YOU THE CONCEPT OF BEING INVITED INSTEAD OF COMING UNINVITED! JUST LOOK AT MY KITCHEN! IT LOOKS LIKE IT WENT TO HELL AND CAME STRAIGHT BACK!"**

Asuma got a terrified expression as his niece shook him around. "I-I think Kakashi might've trained you a little too well!"

"**ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME? LOOK AT MY KITCHEN! WHO'S GONNA CLEAN IT UP, UNCLE?"**

"Er, you?"

"**WHAT AM I, A MAID?"**

"**AHH, HIKARI! I WAS JUST KIDDING!"**

Never had Konohamaru been so terrified of his older sister in his entire life.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Mold? How the hell did mold even get inside of this house?"

"Sis, the old man is here!"

I sighed at Konohamaru's disrespectfulness before setting down the brush I had been using and pulling off my rubber gloves as I exited the kitchen and ran into the living room, which had thankfully not been trashed up. Uncle was laying on the couch after I had yelled at him, flipping through different channels on the TV. I grinned at grandpa before running over to him and hugging him. "Grandpa Hokage!"

He chuckled as he returned the hug, patting my head. "Hikari, welcome home. So, how was your training?"

"Great! I learned a whole bunch of new techniques and I even improved my other ones. I am definitely ready for the finals!"

He laughed, "Well, that's wonderful to know. I came by to make sure you got back safely but I need to ask you this; Did you hear about Hayate?"

I heard Uncle Asuma turn the TV off as the question was asked. I nodded quietly. "Yes, I heard about it just a little before I left."

"Well, I just wanted to be sure you knew so you could go pay your respects. I'm glad that you made it back safe and sound. I'd like to take you for ramen if you would like."

I smiled, "That would be nice. Thanks, grandpa."

He left at that, shutting the door behind him. I looked over at Asuma. "Who's going to be the new proctor for the finals now?"

"Genma Shiranui."

I couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. "Really? I see…Well, I need to go buy some flowers for Uncle Hayate. Konohamaru, let's go."

"But I wanna stay here with Uncle Asuma!"

"We're going to give mother and father some flowers, too."

"Wait! Don't leave without me!"

_**

* * *

**_

_**And so it begins; The Final Competition!**_

**Several days later~ The day before the final exam~**

"Hey, Hikari! Check it out, I'm a walrus! OW!" Kotetsu rubbed the back of his head where Hikari had whacked him.

"What are you, a 3 year old?"

Izumo began to laugh, earning a glare from Kotetsu as he picked his chopsticks back up and began to eat his ramen again. "You should be glad that we're treating you, otherwise we would've already left."

Kari smirked at him, "Maybe you would've left, but Izumo wouldn't have, because unlike you, he actually loves me more!" He cursed under his breath and Kari and Izumo both laughed before Kari lifted her bowl up into the air. "More please!"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi exclaimed, grabbing Kari's bowl and refilling it. "Here you are!"

"Thanks!"

**Several minutes later~**

"Ah, that was great, guys! We should eat ramen together more often."

"Yeah, we really should!"

"It was delic- **KARI, DID YOU SERIOUSLY EAT 12 BOWLS**?"

Ayame smiled at Kotetsu before holding out her hand expectantly. "Thank you, come again!"

That was the day that Kotetsu swore to never treat Hikari for ramen ever again.

Kari left as soon as Izumo, who had been dragged away by Kotetsu, had left, walking home by herself. She felt exhausted, too tired to even dress into her pajamas. But, nonetheless, she managed to get into her room and change into a pair of shorts and tank top before crawling into bed and closing her eyes.

Instantly, she was asleep.

_**

* * *

**_

_**7:30 AM~ The day of the final rounds~**_

I stifled a yawn as I poured myself a glass of orange juice to start the day off. After all, potassium is an important thing to have. I sighed as I took a sip of it, moving over to the cabinet and pulling out some instant ramen, something that I only eat when I have to be somewhere in a hurry or I don't have time to cook me and Konohamaru breakfast. I don't really eat or fix ramen a lot at home, since I don't want my brother growing up living on it like a certain knucklehead I know. Not that ramen isn't the best thing in the world, because it sort of is and I could probably live off of it like Naruto does, but I like being healthy, and I think a variety of different things is more suitable and healthy.

I wonder if Naruto has ever eaten veggies?

Sigh.

As soon as my noodles were done, I grabbed some chopsticks and ripped the lid off, digging in slowly. Normally, I wouldn't have even woken up before 8, but since today is the big day, I thought that getting in a little bit of early last minute training would get me pumped up and ready to go. Plus, I was planning on going to make a little last minute visit to mom and dad, just for luck.

"Sis…?"

I turned around to see Konohamaru standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Why are you up so early? Is it time for the final rounds already?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No, they don't start until later on, around noon. Why are you up so early? I was going to let you sleep until I had to leave."

"I heard you get up, so I got up too. Can I come watch the final competition?"

I mentally laughed when I realized what he was doing. "Sorry, but you have school today."

"Can't you just write me a note to excuse me?"

"No. Your education is more important than my stupid competition. Besides, what kind of sister would I be if I just allowed you to skip out like that?"

He grinned, "The bestest!"

I giggled at his word choice, discarding my now empty ramen cup and moving over to ruffle his hair. "Listen, you want me to make you something before I go? I have to go somewhere before I head for the arena."

He shook his head, looking a bit disappointed. "No, I can get something to eat from Ichiraku's since Miss Ayame likes giving me freebies."

I giggled at his words as I knelt down in front of him and grinned. "Listen, I know you want to come and see me fight, and believe me when I say that I would really like you to-"

"So let me!"

"I wasn't done talking, so listen. Like I said, I would like you to come and watch me kick butt, but thing is that I love you so much that I want you to become a Genin, and then one day, the Hokage."

He got an excited look on his face, "Really?"

"Mhm, that's why you have to go to school today so you can hurry along and make it to Hokage."

"Okay, Sis! I'm gonna hurry and get to school just for you! Good luck at the arena today!" He kissed my cheek before grabbing his backpack. "Kick butt! I love you, big sis!"

I smiled, pulling him into a hug. "Love you too. Have fun at school today."

He waved bye and ran out the door. I sighed when I realized something a little too late.

'_What the heck is he going to do for 2 hours since school doesn't even start until 10?'_

I left after he did, walking to the graveyard. I sat down on a bench placed in front of two tombstones, reading them.

_**Takashi Sarutobi **_

_**Kaori Sarutobi **_

"Hey, mom, dad. It's me, Hikari. Today is the final competition for the Chunin exams. I just wanna say thanks for having me, otherwise I wouldn't be able to participate in such an awesome event. I miss you guys, and I wish you could be here to watch my match. But I'm gonna make you guys proud of me by winning my match and making Chunin. I promise that I'll do my best. Well, I better get going to the arena. It's about to start. Today's gonna be a great day. I love you guys…"

I got up from the bench and made my way to the arena.

* * *

The fireworks began, and the crowd began to go wild as they did. Kari glanced around, frowning when she noticed that two familiar someone's were missing; Sasuke and Naruto.

"We're missing quite a few people here…" Shikamaru mumbled from his spot next to Kari.

She nodded. "That fool Naruto is late…" A sudden disturbance hit her, causing her to tense. She looked up to where the Hokage and Kazakage were seated, frowning slightly. _'Why is it that I feel something bad is going to happen?'_

"**AAAAHHHHHH! *THUD!*"**

Everyone looked over to where all the commotion had come from, Kari sweat dropping when she saw that it was Naruto who had caused the scene. _'Well, he sure knows how to make a big entrance…'_ She watched as Shikamaru moved over and helped the blonde up to his feet. "Oh man, what a drag…."

"Uggghhh…" Naruto groaned in pain, before pushing away from Shikamaru. "Guys, run! You won't believe this, but there's a huge herd of stampeding bulls coming this way!"

"Yeah, you're right, I don't believe it." Kari and Shikamaru said unison.

"I'm serious! There must be a million of them coming right this…way…" Naruto trailed off as he got a good look of the participants and proctor, noticing one person's absence. "Hey, wait. Where's Sasuke?"

Kari shrugged, "Beats me. The guy that I'm supposed to fight, Dosu, is missing too."

"Hey! Knock it off!" The three faced forward to see the proctor sending them a warning look as he chewed on a senbon. "Stand up straight and present yourselves proudly to the spectators."

Naruto watched in awe as the crowd began to cheer excitedly and Kari grinned happily. "Wow…"

"You guys are the heroes of this final competition." Genma said.

"Welcome all and our deepest thanks for coming here to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this years chunin selection! We have come to the final competition between the 9 candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed. Now, everyone enjoy!" The crowd cheered as soon as the Hokage was done with his speech.

"Oh. There's one more thing before we get started," Genma began, pulling out a piece of paper from his vest, opening it up for everyone to see. Kari mentally shrieked. "Look it over."

"Um, Genma-sensei?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"My name isn't on the paper at all. Why?"

He gave her a small sympathetic look. "Dosu dropped out of the match. You've already won your match by default, Hikari."

Her eyes were wide with shock, and Naruto and Shikamaru stared at her sadly. "But-"

"I'm sorry…There's no one else for you to go up against."

She sighed, putting on a grin. "Oh, well! That's okay! I'll just cheer for my friends then…"

He smiled at her slightly, until his attention was torn away by Naruto. "Uh, question. Question!"

"What is it?"

"I was-uh, just wondering what'll happen to Sasuke, I mean, if he doesn't show up?"

"If a candidate is not here in the arena at the time his name is called…He forfeit's the match."

'_Sasuke, you duck-butt! Where the hell are you and what's keeping you?' _

"All right, now listen up! The terrain's different but the rules are the same as before. That is that there are no rules. The match continues until the candidate acknowledges defeat or dies. That being said, if I determine that a match is over I can step in and stop it at any time. And no arguments permitted. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "These are the opponents for the first match; Naruto Uzumaki And Neji Hyuga. Those two stay. The rest of you can go to the waiting area."

"Good luck, Naruto! I'll be cheering for ya!" Kari exclaimed, running after everyone.

And so, the final competition begins…And no one is anticipating the events to come.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: AIIIIEEEE! So sleepy…must update…story…*Falls asleep***

**Hikari: Um, leave a review, please! LATER!**


	25. Buying time!

**A/N: My lovely readers/reviewers, is having what appear to be technical difficulties with story updating. I finally figured out a way to bypass and update this new chapter that I uploaded a couple days ago by reading several forums on this topic. Some of you might not get alerts to the new chappie right away, so I apologize. I am already working on the next chapter and I hope to have it done soon. Also, please ignore the A/N at the end of the chapter, because I already started on the next chappie before figuring out how to update! Please enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Since she really wouldn't be fighting anymore, Kari decided she'd move back and forth between the waiting area and the crowd. She found Kiba and Hinata down in the front row with Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Hey, guys!"

They all looked over at her, Kiba getting excited. "Oh, Kari! Finally decided that I was the best person to be with?"

She rolled her eyes at the comment, pushing him over some to take a seat next to him. "Only in your dreams, Kiba!"

Izumo looked at her with a confused look. "Shouldn't you be in the waiting area with the others?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Apparently, the person I was supposed to go up against dropped out. I won by default."

"Oh, man…I'm sorry. I knew you were looking forward to fighting and all."

She shook her head, giving them a smile. "Nah, it's all right. Besides, I'll just cheer for my friends!"

"Who would've believed that little squirt would've survived this long." Kotetsu stated, talking about Naruto.

"Yeah. He's been one lucky kid so far, but his lucks about to run out. He'll never survive this one." Izumo said. Both were met with sharp whacks upside the head from Kari.

"You should never doubt the abilities of someone until you see them for yourself."

They shut up after that, and Akamaru began to whimper, Kari and Kiba glancing at the puppy. "Yeah Akamaru, what is it?"

Akamaru whimpered again, Kari understanding him. _'There's an ANBU member here…' _

Kiba gasped, "What? Are you sure?" Kari looked over towards the very back of the crowd, her eyes narrowing when she saw the cat mask and black cloak. "What the hell are the ANBU Black Opps doing here?" Kiba asked, the question not directed to anyone in particular.

She frowned, shaking her head. "Beats me, but…whatever the reason, it can't be good."

Something big was going on. Without a doubt…

* * *

Most of Naruto's match consisted of Kiba and Hikari yelling at him, Hikari mostly cheering him on. In the end, Naruto managed to gain the upper hand and win. Unfortunately for Kiba, he didn't get to see it because Hinata began to cough up blood. One of the ANBU members took them away to get Hinata treated, leaving Kari with Izumo and Kotetsu.

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki." Genma announced, and Hikari jumped for joy, cheering loudly along with the crowd.

"**YEAH!"** Without thinking, Kari jumped over the railing and down onto the field, running towards Naruto. **"YOU DID IT! YOU REALLY DID IT, NARUTO!" **She tackled him into a happy hug, pulling away and giving him a high five before the blonde began to run around the field, cheering happily. She laughed at him for a moment before moving over to the waiting area, teleporting in next to Shikamaru.

"Naruto defeated Neji?" Shikamaru asked no one in particular. "Oh man, I can't believe it. And I thought Naruto was the same as me, one of the dorky uncool guys."

Shino looked over at him, "Dorky and uncool?"

"You do realize you just basically insulted yourself?"

"Now everyone is saying he's going to make something big of himself. Just great! I doubt I can beat him now. This is really bad. I've never felt so depressed…What a drag…"

Naruto came up and began to talk with Shikamaru. Hikari blocked them out and stared up at the sky, where a hawk flew over head. She stared up at it, mentally communicating with it.

'_Scout the area for Sasuke Uchiha. If you find him, fly back overhead.' _

As the crowd began to grow impatient, Hikari moved to where the Hokage was, surprising him.

"Hikari, what is it?"

"Grandpa Hokage, please don't disqualify Sasuke Uchiha. I know that if we wait a little longer, he'll show."

"Lord Hokage, I ask you to take this girls request in consideration; consider waiting a little longer before disqualifying Sasuke Uchiha." The Kazekage said.

The body guard for the Hokage, Raido, spoke up. "I understand your point, but no matter how excellent a shinobi he may be, he's late and we can't make special allowances. If there is no clear reason to make all the shinobi leaders and feudal lords wait, then there's no reason not to disqualify him immediately."

"I see…Then it's a good thing I do have a clear reason." Lord Kazekage stated, the three looking over at him. "Including myself, most of the shinobi leaders and feudal lords here came simply because they want to see the next match."

"Yes, but still-"

"He's the only remaining member of the Uchiha clan, and I know the land of wind especially is hoping for a bout between Sasuke and our Gaara."

Raido looked over at the Hokage. "Lord Hokage?"

"Very well then. We will make an exception. We shall postpone this match and wait. Inform the proctor right away."

"Yes sir."

Kari smiled happily, looking over at the Kazekage and bowing respectfully. "Where are my manners? It's an honor to have you visiting our village, Lord Kazekage! I do hope you enjoy the upcoming matches and your stay here. You too, Grandpa Hokage." She made a hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of flower petals, reappearing back in the waiting area. Genma announced the change in plans, and Shikamaru panicked.

"Hey! That means my battle is one match closer now, what a drag!"

"Shino and Kankuro, come down!" Genma ordered.

"Proctor! I withdraw!" Kankuro announced, everyone staring over at him shock. "I withdraw, so please advance to the next match!"

Genma sighed, "Due to Kankuro's withdrawal, Shino Aburame wins by default. Also, due to the lack of his appearance, Dosu has forfeited the match that would be after this next one, and Hikari Sarutobi also wins by default."

Hikari sighed dejectedly. _'Jeez Uncle Genma, just announce it to the entire world, will ya?'_

The blonde girl that was on Gaara's team rode down on her large fan, and Genma looked up at the waiting area. "Hey, you up there! Come down."

"Aw, come on! What're you doing, moving these matches up like this? Why does it have to my stupid match that gets pushed up? Oh man, this is such a drag!" Shikamaru complained.

"Shikamaru Nara, come on!"

"Alright! Shikamaru, you can do it!" Naruto exclaimed, slapping him roughly on the back, hard enough to send him flying over the edge of the railing and down to the ground below.

'_Damn that Naruto…' _

0o0o0o0o0oo0

Sasuke's match got a bit closer than I had thought it would, all thanks to Shikamaru…In the end, he had Temari, but he gave up. The lazy bum. Poor Naruto got mad about it and jumped down to yell at Shikamaru. I shook my head, looking up at the sky. My hawk hadn't come back yet, telling me that Sasuke wasn't anywhere around the village…at least, not yet.

'_And to think, I got your sorry ass more time…' _

I jumped down to the ground and ran over to Genma. "How much longer are they giving him?"

"10 more minutes. This crowd isn't happy about it though. Listen to them: They're completely restless."

An incredibly stupid yet seemingly brilliant idea popped into my head. "What if we were to give them some entertainment?"

"Huh?"

"I have an idea!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

Kari reappeared back on the field, 9 shadow clones with her, the clones in cheerleading outfits, Kari still in her regular attire. Genma's senbon nearly fell from his mouth as he saw them. "What the hell are you doing and why are they dressed like that?"

"You'll see! All right, who brought the CD player?"

"Right here!" One of the clones piped up, bringing the CD player. Hikari took it and sat it down. "All right, into your positions!"

They got into position, and Kari hit the play button, running back quickly with the pair of pompoms in her hands.

**Motteke! Sailor Fuku begins-**

_**A vague 3 cm**_

_**Ain't that a flexible rule?**_

_**For rapping, a sailor uniform…**_

_**It isn't a disadvantage**_

_**Gotta do your best! **_

_**Gotta do it!**_

_**That's when we catch and release**_

_**In between the sweat**_

_**Sweat**_

_**Then I say Darlin' Darlin' FREEZE!**_

Everyone instantly stopped complaining and turned their attention to the field as Hikari an her clones danced, Hikari singing along with the CD.

_**Kinda down Kinda out**_

_**I love you**_

_**Huh?**_

_**Just one letter's different **_

_**You wimp**_

_**Gymnastic high bar**_

_**Gourmet-enough already!**_

_**That blazing body of the that gal who flew off**_

_**Is she what we call a normal girl?**_

_**Am I the only one who's surprised?**_

_**A second helping of Tonkotsu**_

They moved around, changing positions, the crowds full attention on them.

_**BON-BON cheer squad**_

_**Let's get! Cherry pie**_

_**RAN-RAN welcome party**_

_**Look up! Sensation**_

_**Yeah!**_

_**Feels like something's there**_

_**An asteroid bumped into me and crumbled away**_

_**Sing out squadron ranger**_

_**Take it!**_

_**I'm supposed to be the one who laughs last**_

_**Because of my sailor uniform**_

_**That's the conclusion**_

_**I'm in a bad mood**_

_**Even though it's Monday!**_

_**What to do?**_

_**Summer clothes will fix it**_

_**Cuuute!**_

_**I hesitate until it gets close to 3 pix's **_

_**Try your best!**_

_**Be eager**_

_**My Darlin' Darlin' PLEASE!**_

The clones poofed away and the tape stopped. Hikari bowed, quietly praying for Sasuke to hurry up. Just as Genma was about to call it over, a storm of leaves appeared, blowing away to reveal a late Jonin and Uchiha.

"Sorry we're late. You wouldn't believe the traffic."

Genma ignored Kakashi's excuse and looked down at Sasuke. "And you are?"

Sasuke looked up at him with a plain expression on his face. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

The crowd went wild and Hikari smiled. _'At least they didn't get here while I was dancing…that would've been something Sasuke would've used against me…' _

"Heh, so you decided to show up after all? I was betting you wouldn't come cause sooner or later you'd have to face me!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke smirked, glancing over at him. "So what about you? Did you win?"

"You know it!"

"Heh, well, don't get too full of yourself. You're still a loser." He walked over to Kari and smirked. "Well, did you win?"

She looked down with a sad smile. "Yeah…By default."

"What?"

"Dosu never showed, so I automatically won. I didn't even get to show off my new skills."

He smirked at her, "By the way, that was an interesting thing you did to buy time. I had no idea you could dance, Karasu…"

"There are an awful lot of things you don't know, Duck-butt…" She grabbed a strand of his hair. "Nice get up, by the way. I'm gonna say that's what took you so long. And your hair is longer…Just look at it. Listen, Sasuke; I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Promise me you won't lose to Gaara."

He smirked. "Got it."

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Should I write a detailed description of Sasuke's fight with Gaara, or should I skip it and start at the part where the Village is under attack? Let me know. Hope you enjoyed this crappy chappie!**


	26. Zero hour! Konoha's destruction begins!

_**Zero hour; The destruction of Hidden Leaf Village begins!**_

"C'mon, Sasuke! Kick his ass into next year! WOOOHHHHH!" Kari cheered, jumping up and down as she watched the fight ensuing below. Although she couldn't really see it and Sasuke really didn't let it show, but her cheering gave him a bit of an ego boost as he moved around, managing to hit Gaara right in the cheek and send him flying back a few feet. Kari cheered some more, almost a bit envious of Sasuke. She wished that she had been able to actually fight, needing to get rid of the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Watching Sasuke fight made her excited and pumped up. _'That taijutsu training sensei had us go through seems like it really paid off…Sasuke's almost as fast as Rock Lee! But…He still can't manage to hit me fast enough when we spar! But I gotta give him some credit. He's doing excellent!' _

Her eye's narrowed when Gaara trapped himself in a sphere of sand, seeming to use it as a means of protection. She watched with wide eyes as Sasuke ran forward to hit it, as if to stop it from completely consuming Gaara. She shrieked in surprise when spike protruded from the sphere, afraid that Sasuke had gotten hit. He jumped away from the large thing of sand, and Hikari felt herself get uneasy. The feeling of bloodlust was suddenly heavy in the air, and apparently, it was coming from Gaara.

'_How the hell is Sasuke going to exactly beat this guy, anyway?'_

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kari turned around from where she was leaning over the railing to see Kakashi, Guy, and Lee standing together, Sakura, Ino, and Choji sitting in the seats near them. At the top of the stairs, Naruto and Shikamaru stood, panting heavily.

"What is it, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Sensei, please! You just have to stop this match!"

'_What? Stop the match?'_

"The guy Sasuke is fighting is completely different from the rest of us! He's about as far as normal as you can get!"

"Naruto, slow down! What exactly are you trying to say?" Ino questioned, frowning slightly.

"He thinks his point in life is to kill people! Don't you see? If this continues, Sasuke will die!"

'_**DIE?' **_

"You've gotta believe me!"

Kari turned back around to stare out at the field. _'Sasuke wouldn't let someone like Gaara take him out. Not with all the training that he's had and gone through…' _She watched as Sasuke ran forward, throwing Kunai at the sphere of sand, only to have them bounce off. Sasuke leaped up and landed closer, running forward to punch the sphere, moving back when spikes protruded from it. He leaped back some more as they followed him. Sasuke jumped up and slid up to the top of the arena wall, Kari watching in awe and anticipation as he made several hand signs. She smiled when electricity began to spark around his hand, growing into a large sphere.

'_So, that's what sensei taught him at the last minute…Almost makes me a bit more envious, but…I got to learn a new technique just as strong as that myself.'_

Sasuke threw his arm back before taking off, the electricity making a chirping sound as he did so. He ran and hit the sphere of sand, and Kari grinned excitedly.

'_Chidori: 1000 birds…and to think he was terrible at it before I left…He's come a long way…' _Kari thought, smiling as the burst of electricity broke through the sand.

A blood curdling scream caused Kari's stomach to twist as she heard it come from Gaara. Apparently, Sasuke had managed to hit him. She frowned as she watched Sasuke struggling to get his arm free of the sand he had used it to break through. He managed to get free, only to pull out some strange thing with him as he leaped back a few feet. She gasped softly. "What the hell is that supposed to be?" She gulped as she watched it retreat back into the sphere where Gaara still was. A loud roar came from it, and Hikari began to tremble slightly. "W-what is that thing?"

A loud screech diverted her attention away from the field and to the sky. She made a sound of surprise as she saw her hawk that she had sent to search for Sasuke earlier flying over head. Suddenly, an instant surge of anxiety hit her, and her grip on the railing tightened. _'I sense something….something really bad. And it's not just about this match, but something even bigger.'_

The sand sphere began to crack, the sand falling to the ground to reveal an injured Gaara with a crazed and blood lusting look in his eyes. Her hawk screeched again, and she looked back to the sky, her eyes widening this time when she heard what it said.

'_Danger is coming!' _

Something besides the hawk caught her attention. A rainbow rimming around the sun, and she narrowed her eyes. Instantly, she was moving towards the Hokage's seat. She poofed in, surprising her grandfather and Raido.

"Grandpa Hokage!"

"Hikari! Child, what's the matter?"

"I.." She stopped, noticing how the Kazekage was staring at her grandfather. The Hokage turned to stare back when he felt the gaze on him.

"Now, shall we begin?"

The two ninja that had been body guards for the Kazekage ran forward, setting off a smoke bomb. Almost everyone's attention turned towards the area.

"Lord Hokage!" Guy exclaimed, Kakashi and him getting ready to go see what was the matter, only to be stopped by several ANBU members.

"Lord Kazekage, what is this?" The Hokage demanded, Hikari's anxiety levels beyond normal. As the smoke seemed to grow, she began to cough some.

"Honorable granddaughter! You must not stay!" Raido grabbed her and threw her, causing her to go flying out of the smoke. She began to fall towards the ground, quickly summoning several tree roots to catch her and set her down gently. She ran towards Genma and Sasuke.

"Hikari, what's going on?" Sasuke asked quickly, frowning as he could see her shaking slightly. She didn't answer immediately, her attention turning to the sky, her eyes filled with worry when she looked at the rainbow.

'_That rainbow…no!' _She turned back to face the area she had just been, gasping loudly as she saw Kazekage come flying out upwards from the smoke with the Hokage, his arm around the older mans neck with a kunai. She growled when she saw the ANBU members just standing on the roof.** "DON'T JUST STAND THERE! DO SOMETHING!**"

Suddenly, a barrier was created on the roof, blocking out any view of the Hokage.

"What's going on here?" Sasuke asked again, frowning at her even harder.

"Stop it, Gaara!"

Everyone's attention went to Temari as she was yelling at Gaara. Gaara looked at Sasuke and Hikari with a blood lust gaze, causing Kari tremble even more.

"I must kill him…"

Hikari glared, stepping in front of Sasuke and holding her arms out. "You're not going to touch him!"

"Then I'll just kill you with him…"

"There's no point in continuing this fight," Kankuro said, stepping in front of Gaara as means to stop him from moving towards Sasuke and Hikari anymore.

"That's right, don't forget our mission!" Temari reminded, and Kari's eyes narrowed.

'_What mission?'_

"Out of my way!" Gaara mumbled, pushing Kankuro aside and sending Kari and Sasuke a sinister sneer. Gaara was stopped by someone jumping in front of him, Hikari guessing it was his sensei. He asked them what they were doing, asking them if they yet realized that the operation had already began. Genma appeared before Hikari and Sasuke, standing in front of them.

"What is going on? **TELL ME**!" Sasuke demanded, looking up at Hikari and Genma with a frustrated look. He was ignored.

"Do you really think things will go according to you plan?" Genma asked.

"I'll make sure, that they do." Gaara's sensei said. He ordered the three to go once more, so they did. Hikari frowned at their retreating forms before looking back at Genma.

"Uncle?"

"Is the host of this party…Orochimaru?"

"Don't know…don't care. Now, let's heat things up, huh?"

Genma bit down on his senbon, "Sasuke…I'm sorry, but the chunin exam ends here for you. You've already achieved Chunin level, Hikari as well. You're both Leaf Village Shinobi, so put your training to good use."

"In other words, I'm supposed to take down Gaara, right?"

"That's why Hikari is going with you. It wouldn't be fair if I had her go do something that didn't allow letting off that pent up energy, plus the both of you are equally as strong, so I have a feeling you can handle it."

Sasuke nodded, glancing up at the Sarutobi girl. "Let's go."

"Right! Uncle Genma, be safe! C'mon, Sasuke!"

As the two took off, Baki tried to stop them by throwing Kunai at them, only to have the knocked away by Genma's own kunai. The two teammates made it out of the arena, safely.

**

* * *

**

**With the Hokage and Orochimaru~**

"I knew, or at least thought that this day would eventually arrive. However…You're not going to defeat me that easily!"

Orochimaru smirked. "I told you…you should've picked the fifth Hokage before now. Because, Third Hokage, right here, right now, you're going to die just like your two children did."

The Hokage closed his eyes, a look of anger on your face. "I thought that you had gotten your revenge on me and this village when you took their lives! What was the point in them both dying when you obviously haven't had your revenge? What did Takashi and Kaori do to deserve to die?"

Orochimaru began to chuckle, "I didn't kill them to get revenge, no. You see, I merely ran into them while they were on that mission. I was only after Kaori."

"But that still doesn't explain why you killed both Takashi and Kaori!"

"You see, I wanted Kaori's special power: The Legendary Godaigon of the Kietsu clan. But before I could manage to deal the final blow…Your son had to come along and interfere. He took the deathblow. Kaori managed to get away from me, and Takashi died."

"Because of your foolish actions, two children were left behind without parents! You must really have a hard stone cold heart."

"Can't win them all, I suppose. Because Kaori managed to get the slip up on me, I never got the Godaigon. But now, your precious little granddaughter has seemed to finally unlocked it. I saw her birthmark on her shoulder when she came up here earlier. It was fully formed. It's a shame I didn't mark her back in the forest during the second exam. Oh, well…I can always do it after you're gone."

"You will not touch her…Because you're the one who is going to die."

* * *

Hikari and Sasuke leapt down to the ground, Sasuke kneeling down and picking up some dirt, gently pouring it out of his hand to find sand mixed with it. He smirked, tightening his fist before glancing over at Hikari. On her arm, a hawk was perched, staring at her intently.

"Scout ahead for us. Report back if you sight them from the sky. Go!" She raised her arm up into the air and the hawk took flight, disappearing from view. She looked back over at Sasuke and nodded, the two taking off into the trees again.

"How do you know if that bird will even do as you asked? Animals don't understand orders as complex as that."

"Well, that's part of the Godaigon, I suppose. The ability to communicate and understand animals. I ask them for a favor, and they do it for me. That's how I managed to get through the 1st exam, finishing the test. I had a bird sneak in once the window was open and fly around up on the beams of the ceiling, reading someone's answer and having the bird tell me what the answers were."

"Who's paper did you copy off of?"

She smiled at him, "Yours."

She stared up at the sky, frowning at the rainbow.

At the same time, elsewhere, Konohamaru was staring up at it as well. Both Sarutobi siblings recalled the time they had first heard about it.

_**Flashback~**_

_Konohamaru ran ahead of the Third and his sister, staring up at the sky in wonder as he saw the peculiar shape of the rainbow rimmed around the sun. "Hm? Hey, what's that? Old man, what's that weird rainbow?"_

_Hikari stared up at it in curiosity. "Wow…"_

_The third chuckled as he came to a stop next to both of his grandchildren. "That's a real unusual one, huh?" Konohamaru asked._

"_I think it's pretty!" Kari exclaimed._

"_So, you both like rainbows, do you?" _

_Both Sarutobi children nodded. "You bet, but I've never seen a rainbow as pretty as that one before." _

"_Me neither."_

"_I see, I see. Did you know, Konohamaru and Hikari," Sarutobi began, both of his grandchildren looked up at him in curiosity, "Rainbows are beautiful, it's true, but they were once used to symbolize snakes, and it's said they foretell the arrival of evil."_

"_A pretty thing like that?" Both grandchildren said in unison._

"_C'mon, that's not true, old man!" Konohamaru exclaimed. _

"_Konohamaru, don't be disrespectful to grandpa!" Hikari yelled, earning laughter from Sarutobi._

"_Alright, alright! Hahahahaha!"_

_**End flashback~**_

'_Today was supposed to be a good day, not a bad day…'_

"Hikari!"

"What?"

He gave her a concerned look. "Calm down. Your anxiety levels are completely off the charts. Are you trying to give yourself an anxiety attack?"

She looked away from him and ahead at the trees they were going through. "I'm sorry, but I'm just a bit worried…I don't know what's going to happen next, and-"

"Not knowing the next move or action scares you, doesn't it?"

She nodded in confirmation. "Mhm…I've always been able to figure out what the next move is when I'm faced against an easy and readable opponent, but people like this…not even my smarts can guess what the next move is."

He smirked, "You shouldn't be worried. After all, with my Sharingan, I can tell the next move beforehand. As long as I'm around, nothing should really go wrong."

"But how do you know that it won't? I mean, it's not like you can see the future with your Sharingan. You can only tell so much…"

He frowned at that, looking back ahead. They had made it deeper into the forest, where more trees were. They had to flip around in order to get to certain branches. As soon as they had passed over one, Hikari heard a small click followed by a loud explosion behind them. Both of them turned to glance back, gasping as they saw that they had fallen into some type of explosive trap.

"Move!"

Each branch they landed on or barely touched exploded as soon as they moved off of it. Sasuke managed to jump up and hang upside down, grabbing Hikari's hands when she didn't jump high enough. Both stared down at the trap that had exploded, Hikari letting out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that was close…" Sasuke mumbled.

"Like I said, you can only tell so much…"

The hawk from earlier flew over head as soon as they had managed to get standing straight up. Hikari looked up at it before closing her eyes.

"Well? What'd it say?"

She reopened her eyes and looked up at him. "They're all just up ahead. About….2 or 3 minutes away, give or take."

They took off again, reaching the area that they had been spotted in. The three sand ninja stood on a tree branch, and Hikari and Sasuke made themselves known.

"We finally caught you. Did you really think that we'd let you get away?" Sasuke asked, Hikari smirking.

"They must be stupid if they thought that we would."

"Oh jeez…" Kankuro muttered.

"If it isn't Sasuke Uchiha and Hikari Sarutobi…"

Sasuke smirked, flipping a kunai around in his hand. "This is as far as you guys go."

"So, what're you gonna do, huh?" Kankuro asked, a bit frustrated by the interruption. Temari leaped up into the air and barked some orders.

"Go Kankuro! Get Gaara away from here!" She launched several Kunai at Sasuke, who merely leaned his head out of the way, causing the Kunai to lodge themselves in the tree instead. "I'll take care of these two."

"Don't be a fool, Temari. That Sasuke kid alone is too much for you too handle by yourself, and that girl is twice as much."

"Don't argue. Our mission is to make sure that Gaara is safe. He's our first and only priority. Don't worry about me. This is what I've been waiting for. Get going, Kankuro!"

Kankuro took off, and Sasuke growled, throwing several kunai. "No you don't!" Sadly, they missed. "Damn!" Sasuke took off, making the move to go after the two, only to stop as Temari appeared up on the branch opposite of him. She whipped out her large fan and sent a gust of wind at Sasuke. It blew him back, and Hikari jumped up and landed next to him.

"Listen to me carefully, Sasuke; Just before you and Kakashi arrived at the arena, Shikamaru faced off with this chick. She's super low on chakra supply, so she can't really use any powerful jutsu at this rate. She's pretty slow since she's so exhausted, so we stand a pretty good chance at beating her."

Sasuke looked back at Temari, _'Should I use the Chidori and try to take her out quickly?' _He tightened his hand into a fist. _'Hell…why not?'_

'_She uses wind style jutsu, so any type of weapons we throw at her, she can use that fan to blow them right back at us…' _Hikari leaped up after Sasuke, moving out of the way with them as Temari sent a gust of wind at them. They hid behind a tree as the gust seemed to get more powerful.

"I thought you said she was low chakra?"

"She is…That fan of hers is the obstacle. Throwing kunai and shuriken at her are pointless and a large waste of weaponry if she just blows them away. I know what you're doing…you're holding back so you can have enough chakra for the Chidori, but…at least use a powerful jutsu that doesn't require too much chakra…"

He smirked, "I've got just the one." He jumped out from behind their tree and made several hand signs. "Fire style: Phoenix flower jutsu!" Temari jumped to the ground, getting trapped in by the flames surrounding. Sasuke smirked, performing several more hand signs. "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"

"Wind scythe jutsu!"

Sasuke dodged it and landed on branch, slipping on some sand that Temari had summoned there. He fell towards the ground and Temari leaped up into the air, throwing several kunai and hitting him successfully. Temari had been so sure that she had killed him…until Sasuke turned into a log with a paper bomb attached to it. Temari went flying backwards, hitting the ground roughly. Sasuke and Hikari appeared in a nearby branch.

"Gotta run! I've wasted too much time on you already. C'mon, Hikari!"

The two took off, leaving Temari behind.

"How far ahead did they get?"

"About 10 minutes away now. If we keep going at this rate, we'll reach them in no time. Also…I have a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"One that involves a lot of explosives and surprise attacks."

"I like the way you think, Hikari."

"I like the way I think too!"

And so, the two continued on.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Surprisingly, this went quite well! So, yeah…Review and…stuff. LATER TATERS!**


	27. Ultimate Sacrifices!

Hikari's plan that involved explosives and lots of surprise attacks never happened. Shino had shown up before they could fight with Kankuro, and Temari had reappeared and taken Gaara. Shino told Sasuke and Kari to keep going, so they did, leaving Shino to fight with Kankuro.

"How far ahead now, Hikari?"

"Not far ahead now. We'll get there any minute now. He's waiting there…I've never sensed a bloodlust so strong before. It's bone chilling."

"Hn…"

"Listen, Gaara is no ordinary ninja, though I figure you already know that. But just because you were able to make it through your match without him giving you any severe injuries, that doesn't mean this will be any easier. Because, in case you didn't realize it yet, if you make one wrong move, it's over. He will kill you without any thought to it, Sasuke. He's that deadly of an opponent."

"Right…" They reached Gaara, landing on a branch and staring over at him as he had his eyes closed. When he opened them, he stared straight at Sasuke, Hikari clenching her fists when she felt a chill go down her spine.

This wasn't going to be an easy fight…

_**Godaigon and Sharingan together; Gaara VS Sasuke and Hikari!/ Ultimate Sacrifices; One for a village, the other for a friend.**_

I have no idea what scheme you sand village clowns have got going, but I'll stop it, no mater what it is! Besides…I'm dying to see what you really are!"

Gaara was silent, until he began to shout in pain, holding his head in his hands. His face began to crack as he glared up at Sasuke. "We're so alike, Uchiha. I don't have friends as you have, but they're not what makes you strong. It's your purpose that does it. In that way, we're alike…You! But mine is the stronger purpose, for only by destroying you and all you represent can I even prove that I exist. Only by killing you can I know what life is!"

'_His lust for blood…I've never felt something so strong before! It's almost painful!'_

"You…you're my-" He didn't finish what he had been saying. Instead, he fell forward onto his knees, clutching his head in his hands and screaming in what sounded like pure pain. Sasuke and Hikari both gasped as they watched him beginning to transform. "You are my prey! **MY PREY!** **MY PREY!**"

Sasuke's eyes widened, and Hikari looked away, shaking slightly as she covered her ears with her hands. _'W-what IS he?' _

Suddenly, she was grabbed and pulled around. She looked up to see Sasuke holding her, both of the seated in hiding behind a tree, Sasuke behind her. She stared up at him as he panted, watching as he grimaced and grabbed his shoulder. She looked over to look at Gaara, her caramel orbs widening. It wasn't the same person, it was a monster…half of its body attaining the appearance of Gaara. Gaara mutated arm shot out at them, and instantly they moved away.

"Is he human, or monster?" Sasuke asked as they leapt away.

"I'm not sure…I wanna find out!"

They hid again, and Gaara looked all around. "Why do you hide, Sasuke Uchiha? Do I frighten you and your friend? Are you shocked, by my true form? Come out, come out, Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Tch!"

"To live, I must kill! And you are my prey!"

Sasuke had had enough of this. He leaped out from behind the tree and into the air. Gaara's arm shot out and hit, only to hit a substitution instead. "Guess again!" Sasuke exclaimed, launching several Kunai at him. Kari gasped as she watched them lodge themselves into Gaara's mutant arm, not damaging him in any way. Gaara shot them back at him, the kunai missing the Uchiha, which poofed away. It had only been a clone. The real Sasuke was with Hikari again, panting heavily.

"This guy's a freak!" Sasuke exclaimed quietly.

"Sasuke, you'll only hear me ever say this on rare occasions, but…I'm scared. What are we gonna do? His strength is unbelievable."

Sasuke looked up at her in surprise before frowning. _'Dammit! She's right about his strength. It's unreal.'_

"What's the matter, you're not afraid of me, are you?"

'_If this comes down to physical strength alone…'_

"**WHAT'S WRONG, SASUKE UCHIHA? ARE YOU REALLY SO AFRAID OF ME? HAS ALL YOUR HATRED AND SENSE OF PURPOSE DWINDLED DOWN TO THIS? IS THIS THE EXISTENCE YOU LIVE NOW, THAT OF A COWARD! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME! YOU AND YOUR FRIEND! BOTH OF YOU COME OUT AND FIGHT ME! PROVE THAT YOUR EXISTENCE IS STRONGER THAN MINE!"**

Sasuke stood up and made several hand signs, letting his palm face downwards. "Hikari, stand back…"

"Uh, right!" She moved away from him and watched as the spark of electricity grew in his hands. She watched as he leapt into the air the same time as Gaara, and went at him, tearing straight through his mutated arm.

'_That was too easy…Chidori may be strong and powerful, but up against someone like Gaara when he's like this…it must feel like a paper cut…No matter how scared and terrified I may be, I'm not going to just sit here while Sasuke fights. After all, I have all that pent up energy that I need to let out.' _When she looked back, she gasped. Now, he had a tail! _'What the hell is he supposed to even be?'_

Sasuke moved out of the way as Gaara came flying towards him, now hanging upside down on a tree branch. _'Only by predicting his moves do I have any chance of dodging them. Without my Sharingan, I'd be dead already.' _Gaara came flying back towards him, and Sasuke used the fireball jutsu, only to have Gaara come shooting out from the fire and knock him straight back. As Gaara went to finish him, someone shouted.

"Wind style: Hurricane Gale!" A large cyclone of wind sent Gaara flying back and away from Sasuke. Hikari was floating on the wind, flying if you will. She looked back at Sasuke, her green and blue orbs meeting him in a smirk as he noticed her birth mark was glowing. "Did you know, that I'm probably the first Kunoichi to fly?"

"Is that it?" Gaara asked, the question directed at Sasuke. "THAT was the best demonstration you could make of the value of your existence? That's just pathetic, truly. Your hatred, it's weak. You're far too soft and forgiving. The greater the hunger for revenge, the greater the hate! And it's the power of hate that gives you the strength to kill. Your hate is weaker than mine. Far weaker!"

"Shut-up…" Sasuke mumbled dangerously.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"**JUST SHUT-UP!"**

"It means you can't win. You are weaker than I am!"

"SHUT UP!" Kari yelled, her green and blue orb gleaming dangerously. "If I hear one more word about Sasuke being weaker than you…I'll take that gourd from you back and shove it down your throat." Sasuke had stood back up again, creating another thing of electricity in his hand. Kari performed several hand signs. "Sasuke, let's do this together!" He nodded, letting out a battle cry and running forward while Hikari rode the wind. "Wind style: Hurricane gale!"

Sasuke launched the ball electricity into the cyclone of wind. "Chidori!"

Both shouted in unison as Hikari sent the cyclone flying towards Gaara. "Chidori Hurricane!"

It hit Gaara, turning his mutated arm into sand. Hikari smiled happily, only to have it disappear when she noticed Sasuke. He was covered in the curse mark. He let out a pained cry before falling forward onto his face, Kari gasping loudly as she knelt down next to him. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke put a hand to where the curse mark was, screaming in pain when he touched it. Kari's eyes widened when she saw Gaara heading straight towards them. And just as he was about to crush them, someone knocked him back, kicking him in the face. Kari let her grip on Sasuke loosen as she stared up at their savior.

"Naruto…"

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried as she jumped down next Kari and Sasuke. Dog jumped down next to her and sat on Hikari's other side. "Hikari, what-"

"Shh! Listen to me, Sakura, it's going to be alright. I'm gonna fix him up." She stated, smiling brightly.

"But how-"

"Don't worry about how, because I will. You just focus on making sure that Gaara doesn't beat up Naruto too much." Sasuke let another pain filled shout out, gripping onto Hikari's wrist and squeezing it tightly. "Tell me where it hurts the most, Sasuke. I'll try to do my best to the pain stop. Where does hurt?"

"Ugh, my neck, NNNGH!"

She put her hand to his neck, focusing on it and gently massaging it as Sasuke continued to shout in pain. She shushed him, calmly saying soothing words to him in order to get him to relax. Despite her calm demeanor, she was mentally yelling.

'_He used up too much chakra with the Chidori…I should've stopped him from going past two bursts when I had the chance…' _"Sasuke, try and relax…"

He gave a pained grunt, his grip on her wrist tightening. She moved it to where he was squeezing her hand instead, and though it hurt like hell and she thought he was going to break it, she still let him hold it as she continue her ministrations to his neck.

"Guys, we have to go now!" Naruto suddenly explained. The swoosh of wind alerted Sakura and Hikari, causing them both to look up with wide eyes as Gaara came rushing towards them.

"**DIE SASUKE UCHIHA AND HIKARI SARUTOBI!"**

Hikari's eyes narrowed as she pulled away from Sasuke and readied herself, only to be pushed out of the way by Sakura.

"**SAKURA NO!"**

"Sakura!"

Naruto and Hikari watched with wide eyes as their comrade was pinned to the tree by Gaara. While Naruto tried to figure out what to do, Hikari stared in shock, memories pouring through her.

"_You see, Hikari…People will put their own lives on the line to ensure the safety of their village and people. Like when the Nine-tailed fox attacked the village. Many of my friends died trying to protect the village and the people. Because, they wanted to keep their home and friends safe. The Fourth Hokage…He displayed amazing courage by giving his life up for all of us. When you want to protect something or someone important and precious to you, you find a way to keep it safe, even if it means self sacrifice."_

"_So, how do you know when to give your life for something?"_

_Kaori smiled, kneeling down and tucking some hair behind the 6 year olds ear. "When they become precious to you. Precious people are always the ones that you will do anything for, even if it means dying…Precious things and precious people will always be apart of your life, little one. Because, precious people will always be dear to you and your heart. You see, to protect the things that matter most…is an honor for any person, may they be a shinobi or just an average person. Protect the people and things important to you, sweetheart."_

Kari clenched her jaw as she shot a glare to Gaara, who had tried to strike again, only to have Naruto step up and kick his attack back. He tried again, and Hikari sent him flying.

"Who are these people to you? Who are they to you?" Gaara demanded, the two people who were listening not sure which one of them he was talking to exactly. "Who are they to you?"

"Who are they to me?" Naruto asked, his fists clenched together, "They're my friends is who they are! You try laying so much as another finger on the three of them and I will pulverize you!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at Gaara angrily.

Sakura let out a scream of pain as Gaara squeezed her some more and Naruto watched in shock.

"What's the matter? Weren't you gonna pulverize me?" Gaara asked.

Naruto tightened his fist before leaping forward. "Dammit!" He tried to hit Gaara, only have said person hit him backwards, landing in front of Kari.

"Naruto!" She knelt down next to him and helped him sit up before she stood back up and glared at Gaara as he looked like he wasn't done with the blonde just yet. Hikari stood in front of Naruto and Sasuke and held her arms out, a determined look on her face.

"What do these three mean to you? What are they to you?" Gaara asked.

She closed her eyes, reopening them to reveal that she had reactivated the Godaigon. "These people are my friends. They are my precious people, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. They matter the most to me. They're the ones I hold most dear me. You really don't get it, do you? You think that just because I'm protecting them, that I'm a weakling. I'm doing it, because I have to," She performed several hand signs before shooting a determined look at Gaara. "To protect the things that matter most! That is my nindo! **MY NINJA WAY!**"

A gust of wind swirled around her as she performed several more hand signs. _'Element style: Pyro tornado!'_

The wind around her became engulfed in flames and she moved quickly, spinning around rapidly. She managed to hit Gaara back, but it was short lived when he sent her flying. She hit a tree hard, causing her wince in pain. But she didn't give up. Naruto took it from there, only to be knocked away again. He stood back up and began to yell at Gaara as he tightened his grip on Sakura. Hikari weakly crawled over to Sasuke, pulling out Kunai as means of protection should Gaara try to attack him again.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto. _'Naruto's just standing there…That's not like him. Why's he hesitating?'_

When Naruto made several hand signs and hit the ground, Hikari watched in surprise. "Summoning jutsu!"

As soon as the smoke cleared, there was a small little orange toad. "What is it? What do ya want, kid? Well, whatever it is, I hope you brought along some treats, cause if you think I'm doing anything for nothing you're wrong!"

"Oh, give me a break! I'm really starting to hate you stinking frogs!"

'_This…is his summon? It's a little toad! How the hell is a tiny little thing like that gonna help us out at all?' _Hikari mentally ranted, watching as Gaara began to transform again, his arm breaking off, still keeping Sakura trapped.

"Sand-shuriken!"

Kari threw herself on top of Sasuke, shielding him while Naruto grabbed the little toad and dodged them, hitting a tree and falling onto a branch. He got back up and used the multi shadow-clone jutsu, at least 50 or more Naruto clones appearing and flying towards Gaara. Gaara merely blew them away, using some type of jutsu that had sand bullets. He hit Naruto again and again with it.

"Naruto, come on! You can do it!"

And so, the blonde stood up with newfound strength, determined to take Gaara down even if it killed him.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Several Naruto clones appeared beside the real Naruto, all of them looking rather determined. "Here it goes! Get ready for the ultimate secret taijutsu; Naruto Uzumaki: Home body slam!" I figured he had a good plan up his sleeve, so I went back to trying to fix up Sasuke while watching. Gaara grabbed three of the clones in his hand, one of the clones landing on it and throwing the real Naruto towards Gaara. Naruto used the shadow clone technique again and again before flying up back towards Gaara. "Take this! Leaf village secret taijutsu, straight from the teachings of Kakashi-sensei! A thousand years of death!"

I felt my eyebrow twitch when I saw him stick a shuriken up that things butt, and yet Gaara wasn't even fazed by it. He knocked Naruto back, and suddenly, the kunai exploded, sending me and Sasuke flying, both of us hitting Naruto. "Ow…"

"Hey, you guys okay?" Naruto asked us as I helped Sasuke sit up.

"All of that work and you scored only one blow?"

Naruto scoffed, turning away. "Dah, put a sock in it!"

"Naruto, listen to me," Sasuke began, "You have to save Sakura if it's the last thing you do. Once you've got her, I want you to take her and flee as fast as you can with Hikari. It's all up to you."

"Sasuke, you…"

"I can, ugh…hold him here a little longer." He told us, trying to stand up. "If it ends here, it just means that this is how far I was meant to go. I lost everything once. I don't ever wanna have to see that again. My trusted comrades falling right in front of me…"

"Your comrades?" Naruto repeated as I stared up at Sasuke sadly. "I get it now. Of course…he's no different than I am, going through life with the exact same sadness and loneliness that I had to carry. He fought only for himself, never relying on anyone and because of that I thought he possessed strength, I really did."

'_Naruto…'_

"I don't know, I guess I should've known better. That's not what real strength is. If you never fight for anyone but yourself-"

"You'll never be strong, no matter what you do." I finished for him, both he and Sasuke looking over at me. "When you have something precious to protect, only then are genuinely strong."

Naruto made a hand sign before we could say more, and he let out a battle cry before releasing a massive amount of chakra, causing Sasuke and I to back up a bit. "Multi shadow clone jutsu!" And I thought one Naruto was enough trouble. Try at least more than 100 Naruto's. The real Naruto pointed at Gaara. "Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting so long! So get ready for an original jutsu straight from ninja handbook!"

"How did you… do this?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke, Hikari. Why don't you two take it easy for a while? You both deserve it. Just leave the rest to Naruto Uzumaki." I felt the exhaustion I had kick in, so I did as Naruto said and leaned back against the tree, watching as he and his clones kicked Gaara around in the air. "Uzumaki barrage!"

Gaara went falling to the ground, Naruto and the clones following after him. Suddenly, a large cloud of smoke appeared, and through it, we could see a figure. I felt my eyes widen as Sasuke and I saw it.

"What the-What is that?"

Suddenly, sand appeared around Naruto, and Sasuke and I were shouting at him. Of course, Sasuke stood up to fast and fell forward. I thought that Gaara was going to crush Naruto with his sand, but I was proved wrong when a large toad showed up, Naruto now on its head. I had to admit that it was quite impressive, and I felt a little left out, but I was exhausted, and all my chakra was pretty much gone. I didn't even bother to look up when it started to rain a bit.

"That's the-"

I opened my eyes as Sasuke began to speak, my own eyes widening when I saw the beast that the Fourth Hokage had saved us all from years ago. "The Nine-Tailed fox…"

A large blast of wind came our way, causing us to grunt. And then, it was over. I sighed and closed my eyes again, my head throbbing in pain. I felt sleep overcome me.

0o0o0o0o0o

Hikari awoke to Sasuke gently setting her down. As soon as she was awake again, Hikari stiffened as she felt a chill go through her entire being, her eyes widening as a familiar chakra signature was fading away. She turned around, facing the direction in which the arena was at, shaking her head, worry and panic clouded in her brown orbs. "No…"

Sasuke stared at her with confusion. "Kari?"

"Oh no…" She took off with incredible speed, Sasuke calling after.

"Hikari, come back! HIKARI!"

She reached the arena just in time to see the force field that had been put around it disappear, and several ANBU moving after the ones who had summoned it. She noticed Genma, Guy, and Kakashi all standing on the field, staring up at the top of the building. Not bothering to stop and speak with them, she ran past them in an even more panicked state, leaping up to the top of the building, Genma calling after.

"HIKARI, DON'T GO UP THERE!"

The familiar chakra signature faded away completely, and Hikari moved even more frantically through the forest that had been created on top of the roof by the jutsu that she was still trying to master. She glanced around, her eyes widening as she saw a familiar person lying on the ground, not showing any signs of movement whatsoever. She ran forward and knelt down next to the lifeless body of the Third Hokage. As she knelt there, several of the Jonin began to show up, all of them silent. Hikari gently shook him.

"Grandpa?" She was met with silence, but she tried again, a small hopeful smile on her face, "Grandpa, please…Wake up. Grandpa Hokage?" She stopped shaking him gently, and her hopeful smile faded away, everything finally sinking in. She shook her head. "No…No, no, no, no, no…" She began to shake slightly, fisting her hands on the material of Sarutobi's shirt. "GRANDPA HOKAGE! **NOOOOOOOOOOO!" **She fell forward onto Sarutobi, sobbing loudly enough for everyone to hear. Several people closed their eyes. It was the first time in four years that anyone had seen her shed a tear. No one made the move to try and pry her off of the Hokage, except for Genma and Kakashi. Kakashi stopped when he noticed Genma moving towards her, knowing that it would probably be better if he handled her.

She pushed him back as he touched her shoulder gently, continuing to sob. Sighing, he pulled out a small syringe and pierced it in her arm, Hikari instantly going limp, falling into unconsciousness.

Kurenai looked at him shock. "Genma, was that really necessary?"

He lifted the Sarutobi girls limp form into his arms. "She's hysterical. When someone would've shown up to move the body, she would've killed them for trying to touch him. Besides, she needs medical treatment. Someone needs to inform the honorable grandson…"

Everyone looked down sadly at that, knowing that Asuma would have to be the one to handle that job.

**A/N: Next chapter will be up quick, since I wrote it a long time ago. I hope you enjoyed! **


	28. Grief and Sorrow, Hikari's sadness

**A/N: I wrote this chapter way back when I first started this story. I cried when I read through it, because of the emotional trauma it has. Hope you enjoy. Also, this is the theme for Hikari's sadness from now on, and I may change it to her official theme, though I liked the other I one I chose. Tell me what you think!**

**Look it up on you tube- Ko wo Omou Haha and also look up Lullaby for a stormy night, the song used in this chapter!**

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* * *

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_**Grief and Sorrow; Hikari's pain and sadness revealed.**_

Sakura walked out of her house, wearing a black dress that reached just a little bit above her knees, black sandals on her feet. It was the normal attire to wear to a funeral, especially such as one that was for a leader. Sadly, Sakura stared up at the sky, just in time to see rain clouds come rolling in, concealing the sunlight and making the mood all the more depressing.

As Naruto walked over to her, she looked over at him, taking in his bandaged face silently. Neither of the two exchanged words as they stood, waiting for the last teammate that had planned to walk with them. Finally, Sasuke rounded the corner, dressed in black just like Sakura and Naruto, not bothering to look at the two as he walked passed them, Naruto and Sakura running after him.

Today was not a day where words were required to be spoken, for the loss that everyone was now suffering was too strong.

As the three teammates walked down the silent and empty streets of the Leaf Village, they all stopped as they saw their fourth teammate walk out from her house, her younger brothers hand in her own, while she held a picture frame in her other hand. Kari was clad in the same black dress like Sakura's, Konohamaru wearing black like everyone else, the ridiculously long blue scarf that he always wore gone from his neck, while the same goggles that Naruto used to wear remained on his forehead. Konohamaru's usual smile that everyone always saw was not there on his face, only a look of sadness and grief. It was a bit surprising that the 8 year old wasn't crying.

Kari glanced over at her other teammates as they stared at her, all three of them noting that every hint of happiness and joy that she usually always held in her caramel eyes was gone, like it had never been there. She had a blank expression on her face, though the sadness and pain she was feeling was visible in her eyes. She turned away from them and began walking away, Konohamaru's hand staying in her own.

Sakura made the move to go after her and call her name, only to be blocked by Sasuke's arm. She glanced over at him, and he shook his head. "If she wanted us to walk with her, she would've walked over here and asked."

Sakura frowned sadly, realizing that the Uchiha was right. If she had wanted the comfort that she so desperately seemed to need, she would've have said something and asked for it. Sakura knew what it felt like to lose people you knew, but she didn't know what it felt like to lose a loved one like the way her teammate had. Sakura had her entire family, her mother and father, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etcetera. But she didn't know what it was like to lose your parents and lose one of the only people you could call family. Hikari had lost both her parents, and now, her grandfather.

There was only one thing that was plainly obvious to the pink-haired kounoichi, and that was that Kari was sadder than anyone could ever imagine.

* * *

As Kari and Konohamaru walked onto the roof top of the Hokage Residence, where the funeral was being held, everyone, who had all been quietly speaking amongst themselves became silent, their eyes falling onto to the two grandchildren of the Third Hokage. Kari walked forward, holding the picture frame in her hand close to her chest, while she released Konohamaru's hand, allowing him to go stand in the front, while she continued to walk forward, the village elders standing up at the very front, two torches lighting up the area, while the large bouquet of flowers laid in front of the table, where a pillow like thing laid. The two village elders watched silently as Kari walked over to it, stopping in front of it and pulling the picture frame away from her chest, staring down at the picture of her grandfather, one of the only nice ones she had ever managed to get of him without him having to wear his normal Hokage attire, wearing a barely visible, yet small smile on his face. She placed it on the pillow, making sure that it stayed standing before backing away, stopping and facing the village elder, Koharu Utatane.

"May I have the picture back when it's over?" Hikari asked quietly, her voice barely audible, though the older woman could hear that the young girls voice was hoarse sounding. Koharu put a hand on Kari's shoulder, nodding her head and giving her a sad smile. "Thank you…" Kari mumbled, walking back over to the large group of people that had gathered, taking her place between her brother and Naruto. Everyone stood silently, staring at the picture of The Third, and finally, Konohamaru began to cry, Kari taking his hand in her own and holding it, gently squeezing it.

Raindrops falling onto the ground caused Kurenai to glance up as rain began to fall softly. "It's raining."

Asuma, who had been standing next to her, glanced up as well. "Even the heavens weep."

"The funeral for the Third Hokage, who lost his life in this battle, as well as the other victims who gave their lives, will begin now." The other village elder, Homura Mitokado announced, the bells of the tower sounding.

The Jōnin were then given white flowers and allowed to go up to the table one at time, placing their flower on top of it to pay their respects, everyone else watching silently.

'_Why…Why did it have to happen? Why did someone so good have to die? Why did old man Hokage have to die?' _Naruto mentally asked himself as he stared ahead. The sound of choked sobbing caused him to glance down next to him see Konohamaru sobbing, his hands trying to rub the tears away. _'Why…?'_

Kari squeezed Konohamaru's hand that she held gently as he began to sob harder. She glanced down, her hair falling into her face and covering up her eyes. "Konohamaru, please don't cry…Please…Because if you cry, then…" She stopped, her words sounding choked up. "Then I'll start crying, too…"

Naruto glanced at his friend, his blue orbs widening slightly as he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Neither he or his friends had ever seen her cry before, all of them thinking her to be one of the best people to have control over her emotions and not showing them. But now Naruto realized that they had all been wrong, because Hikari always showed one emotion: Sadness. She hid it inside her own fake happiness, and even when she was very serious, she still showed it.

"Please…" Kari whispered, before she released her brothers hand to bring both of hers up to her own face, trying to wipe away the tears, only to have them fall at a more rapid pace. She began to shake, sobbing quietly. When she couldn't stop, she fell to the ground on her knees, grabbing Konohamaru and pulling him to her, hugging him and finally sobbing loudly enough for several people to hear. Iruka, who had been standing on Konohamaru's other side looked down at the two siblings as they wept, remembering what the Third had told him when he had found him crying over his parents, realizing that in a way, Hikari was just like him with her masking her sadness with happiness and laughter. She had held all the sadness she had endured since her childhood in, and was finally letting it all out.

And just like everyone else, this was the first time he had ever seen the eldest Sarutobi grandchild cry. When Kari's sobs began to grow a little louder, he knelt down next to the two siblings as they held onto each other, wrapping his arms around both of them before pulling them to him, Konohamaru sobbing into his shoulder while Kari cried into his chest, clutching the fabric and crying loudly and shaking violently.

Finally, the time came for the Chūnin, Genin, and academy students to pay their respects. Everyone lined up, with the exception of Konohamaru and Hikari, placing their flowers down before going back to stand in place. Konohamaru was facing forward now, his eyes still a bit wet and teary, but nonetheless, he was no longer crying. Hikari no longer held onto Iruka as if her life depended on it. She stood up, slouched forward a bit, her hair covering her eyes as she still shook, sobbing quietly. Finally, as soon as the last person had placed their flower down, Kari and Konohamaru moved forward, hand in hand with their own flowers. Konohamaru quickly put his down, sniffling slightly before he walked back to stand in place. Kari stood their, looking up through her teary eyes as she still shook violently from her sobbing. She stared at the picture that she had brought, clenching the flower in her hand.

"_Why did mommy and daddy have to go and die? Why?"_

"_Now, now…tears won't make anything better, little one. Why, didn't your mother say to be brave?"_

"_Y-yes, but…"_

"_Try to be brave, for your mother and fathers sake, Hikari."_

"_Okay, grandpa…"_

Thunder sounded loudly, the rain beginning to fall harder, soaking Kari even more as she stood there with the flower still in her hand, everyone still watching her as she stood there. The tears mixed with the rain that fell on her cheeks, and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. She set her flower down and grabbed the picture she had brought, instantly turning on her heel and taking off, sobbing as she did.

'_No matter how hard I try…I just can't be brave and stop the tears…'_

"Hikari, come back!" Asuma shouted after her as he tried to grab her, but she slipped from his grip and continued running. "Hikari Taiga Saru-"

"Let her go, Asuma." Kakashi ordered. "She's not going to listen to you or anyone else in this state, so you might as well leave her be."

And Asuma couldn't help but agree with him. He sighed and looked up to the sky. _'Takashi, Kaori…watch over the old man. Tell him that I'll watch over Hikari and Konohamaru now. I'll make sure they're safe.'_

* * *

Kari held the picture close to her chest as she sat in the rain, sobbing. _'Why?' _She asked, staring at the K.I.A. stone through teary eyes. _'Why is it that everybody special to me always has to die?' _

The sound of footsteps didn't even make her look to see who had come here. She was aware that whoever it was had brought an umbrella with them and was now holding it over her, keeping the rain from soaking her anymore.

"Y'know, you'll catch a cold if you just sit here in the rain like this." Minorin said, giving the younger girl a smile, only to have it fade away when she saw that Kari wasn't even listening, just crying still. She grabbed Kari's hand and placed the umbrella in it, making sure she had a grip on it before moving away. "Stay dry, okay?"

As Minorin left, she walked past Genma, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all trailing behind him as he made his way through the rain to the weeping girl. He stopped as he got next to her, kneeling down and wrapping a blanket that he had brought with him around her. He looked at the stone, frowning as he read the names at the very top, the newest one noticeable.

_**Sarutobi, Takashi**_

_**Sarutobi, Kaori **_

_**Sarutobi, Hiruzen **_

He looked back down at Hikari. "Let's go swing by Ichiraku's and get you something warm to eat."

He scooped her up in his arms, not earning any protest from her as he turned away from the stone and began to walk away from it, Kari's wrapped up from in his arms, still clutching the picture frame to her chest as tears still fell down her cheeks. She sniffled slightly as Genma carried her past her three teammates, the three following behind them as they made their way back into town. They walked into Ichiraku's, Ayame greeting them quietly when she took in Hikari's form in Genma's arms, telling them that everything was on the house for them today. As Genma sat Hikari down on one of the stools, he made sure the blanket was wrapped around her tighter before he turned to look at the other three.

"I have to go take a look at some of the damage done. You three make sure she's taken care of." He left with that said, and the three took a seat at the bar, Sasuke on one side of Hikari, Naruto and Sakura on the other. Ayame came back with a piping hot bowl of ramen and sat it down in front of Kari, her father handing the other three members of Team 7 bowls of their own. While the three dug in, Hikari just stared at the bowl of ramen before her while she still held the picture frame close to her chest.

It was silent as they ate, the exception being the sounds of Ayame and her father moving around and cooking noodles. Naruto was the first to finish, sighing in content with a smile, only to have it disappear when he looked over at Kari and noticed that she hadn't even touched her food. She still held the picture frame to her chest as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks, though the sobbing had sopped a while ago. The blonde frowned for a moment before grabbing his chopsticks and turning his back to the group.

"Hey, Kari! Check it out!" He turned back around, his chopsticks in his mouth. "I'm a walrus!" He began to laugh loudly, only to have it slowly die when Hikari didn't even show the attempts to laugh or even smile. He let his chopsticks fall from his mouth, earning a clatter from them as they fell onto the bar. In attempts to try again, he opened his mouth, "Hey-"

"Just leave her alone, loser," Sasuke barked suddenly, earning shocked looks from Sakura and Naruto before the blonde glared at him angrily.

"Jeez, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood and cheer her up so don't try and tell me to leave her alone!"

"If she wanted you to do that, then she would've acknowledged you already!"

"Well, at least I'm trying to do something! You're acting like you don't even care that she's sad, you're not even saying anything to her!"

As the two continued arguing back and forth, Kari stared down at her lap, still tightly clutching the picture frame to her chest as she listened to them argue, Sakura yelling at them to stop. Why was it that she was always causing problems? As tears began streaming down her face, she stood up shakily, causing everyone to go silent and stare at her.

"Kari, where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"…."

Sasuke moved over to her. "I'll take you home."

As they left the ramen shop, they walked in silence. The rain continued to fall as Sasuke took Hikari home, reaching her house in minutes. As he made the move to leave, she stopped him, grabbing his hand and causing him to look at her.

"I…" She stopped, looking up at him with glassy brown eyes that were filled with tears. Although the Uchiha would never let anyone see it or hear it, he hated it. Seeing her so sad. It broke his heart.

"You what?"

"Please…come inside."

Amazingly enough, he accepted her invitation and followed her inside. He removed his sandals like her, following her further inside. As thunder rumbled loudly across the sky, a loud bang could be heard and hurried footsteps. Sasuke watched as Konohamaru threw himself at Hikari, hugging her tightly.

"S-sis! The thunder!"

She knelt down and hugged him to her. "It's just a small storm," she croaked out, stroking his hair, "it'll be over soon…"

"Can you sing the lullaby mom used to sing? Can you play it?"

* * *

I felt my heart wrench when I realized what he was talking about. I didn't want to play that song. I felt exhausted, my eyes were itchy from all the crying, my nose was stuffy, my head hurt, and my throat. But…I couldn't find it in me to refuse. I moved into the living room with Konohamaru, Sasuke trailing behind us. I sat down at the piano and pushed the lid off. Konohamaru sat close to me, laying his head on my shoulder while Sasuke sat down on the couch, silent like usual. After gently running my hands over the keys, I began to play, my voice following soon after.

"Little child, be not afraid

The rain pounds hard against the glass

Like an unwanted stranger

There is no danger

I am here tonight

Little child, be not afraid

Though thunder explodes and lightning flash

Illuminates your tearstained face

I am here tonight

And someday you'll know

That nature is so

This same rain that draws you near me

Falls on rivers and land

On forests and sand

Makes the beautiful world that you

In the morning."

I paused, playing the piano part before breathing and starting up again.

"Little child, be not afraid

The storm clouds mask your beloved moon

And its candlelight beams

Still keep pleasant dreams

I am here tonight

Little child, be not afraid

The wind makes creatures of our trees

And the branches to hands

They're not real understand?

And I am here tonight

And someday you'll know

That nature is so

This same rain that draws you near me

Falls on rivers and land

On forests and sand

Makes the beautiful world that you see

In the morning."

Konohamaru yawned as I played the piano part, getting a bit heavy as he leaned against me. I reminisced back to the time our mom would sit down here and play it for us. I felt tears beginning to fall again.

"For you know

Once even I was a little child

And I was afraid

But a gentle someone always came

To dry all my tears

Trade sweet sleep for fears

And to give a kiss goodnight

Well, now I am grown

And these years have shown

That rain's a part of how life goes

But it's dark and it's late

So I'll hold you and wait

Till your frightened eyes do close

And I hope that you'll know

That nature is so

This same rain that draws you near me

Falls on rivers and land

On forests and sand

Makes the beautiful world that you see

In the morning

Everything's fine in the morning

The rain will be gone in the morning

But I'll still be here in the morning…"

I finished and looked down to find Konohamaru sound asleep. I sighed tiredly, not bothering to wipe away the tears that had begun to fall as I picked him up and carried him to his room, setting him in his bed and covering him up before moving out and shutting the door quietly. Sasuke was leaning against the wall in the hallway when I walked out.

"Hikari…Are you okay?"

I scoffed, walking into my room, letting him follow me. "No. I feel…broken and empty." I mumbled, clutching my chest. I sat down on my bed and pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my head on them. I let out a shaky breath as the tears began to pour again as he sat down next to me. I broke down when he looked right at me, throwing myself at him and wrapping my arms around him, letting the tears and sobs free.

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_**Sasuke's point of view :D~**_

I was surprised as she grabbed onto me and hugged me as she began to cry. I gently pat her back as she cried, something I would normally not do, but I found an exception for her. Since this was the first time I'd ever seen her cry, I began to figure that it was my job to comfort her as a comrade and as a friend. I found myself moving my hand away from her back and around her form, hugging her tightly. I hated hugs, especially when it was some fan girl that initiated the contact instead of me. But I couldn't really find it in me to push Hikari away.

Because I found myself able to relate to her situation.

"My older brother killed my mother and father and my entire clan," I began, feeling her stiffen slightly as I began to tell her about my personal life. "I was only 7 years old at the time. I had to stay at school a little later, so I got home late. And when I did…I found him standing over our parents bodies. He's my main purpose for living…Because I'm going to find him and kill him to avenge my entire clan."

She stopped crying, and spoke. "Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Thank you for telling me that…Even though it hurts, this unbearable pain inside my chest…it makes me feel…not so alone anymore, knowing that I have someone to relate to. And…I'm not so sure if the wounds can heal…"

'_Even though it will take awhile…the wounds will mend together and the sadness will go away…I'll be there to make sure it does, every step of the way…'_

**

* * *

**

**A/N: So…I think Sasuke was a little too OOC near the end, but I hope you guys enjoyed it either way! Next chapter: Who are the strange people in black cloaks with red clouds? DUHN DUHN DUHN! You can figure it out on our own! LATER TATERS! **


	29. More Guilt Added to my Hurting Heart

Hikari quietly sighed as she set down another sympathy basket on the kitchen table. For the past couple of days, villagers had been sending them to her to give their condolences for her loss. This was 12th basket that she had gotten, and even though she appreciated all the comfort, it still didn't make the sadness go away. She'd being crying herself to sleep for the past few nights, the sadness too unbearable. She felt a bit better each time Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, or any of her other friends came by to visit, Sasuke coming over the most to check up on her. Asuma would come to see if she was okay and Genma would come and make sure she wasn't thinking of doing something stupid. Minorin and Sakura would come by to make sure she was eating and had enough food, Naruto would bring her ramen, and Sasuke would come by to simply talk with her for endless hours.

It felt nice…knowing that she had so much support.

"How many does that make today?" Sasuke asked as he took in her sympathy basket covered table.

"The third. That's the 12th one this week. It's a veggie basket." Hikari said, opening it to reveal several fresh vegetables, most of them tomatoes. She picked one up and stared at it tiredly. "I never thought that people would consider tomatoes as comfort food. Besides, it's a fruit." She glanced over at Sasuke, frowning slightly when she noticed how he was staring intently at the tomato in her hand. She glanced down at it before looking back up at him with a small smirk. "Well, is it true that the, oh so great Sasuke Uchiha has a weakness for tomatoes?"

"Shut-up…" He grabbed the tomato from her quickly and began to eat it, earning a small smile from Hikari.

As said girl turned her back to him to do something, Sasuke stared at her from behind. He had learned a little bit more about Hikari's personal life in the past few days he had been coming over to visit with her. She liked the colors purple and aqua, she liked music, her favorite food was miso ramen, she loved flowers and animals, her favorite animal was a panda, and she had a stuffed panda bear plushy and rabbit plushy named Kohana and Mr. Sneezy. Another thing he also noticed was that she loved to take pictures and have pictures all over her house. Almost every single wall in the house was covered with multiple pictures of family and friends.

Sasuke left suddenly, leaving Hikari frowning at his sudden leave. She decided not to ponder on it, despite the fact that she felt all alone now. Konohamaru had gone out for a walk when Sasuke had come over to check in on her, so she was left home by herself. She sighed, deciding that fresh air would probably make her feel better.

Unbeknownst to her or anyone else, fresh air was the last thing that would make anything better…

_**Return of the Morning Mist; More guilt added onto my hurting heart…**_

Perhaps getting some fresh air…was a big mistake. I only wanted to get away from the house and buy some more orange juice, but instead, people start coming up to me and giving me their condolences. I was sick of it. Their sympathy simply brought me more pain than necessary.

One thing I was a bit happy to see was how everyone was pitching in with the rebuilding. I was happy to see that so many people cared for our home. As I moved over to buy an apple, I could've sworn that I heard the sound of a bell ringing.

"Hikari," I turned around to see Kakashi-sensei making his way towards me, a small smile on his face, "It's nice to see you out and about. How're you feeling?"

I smiled a small smile. "Better, I suppose. It's a little tough right now, but I'm getting along, somewhat. What're you doing here?"

"Me? Well, I was just on my way to the tea house. I'm meeting Sasuke there. Actually, I was also looking for you, so it's a good thing I found you."

"Tea house? Sweet dumplings?"

"I knew you'd like it if there were sweets involved. Now, let's hurry along. We don't want to keep Sasuke waiting."

I nodded in agreement and followed Kakashi to the place they were to meet Sasuke at. Kakashi propped himself against a wall and pulled out his book, telling me I could go on in and buy something if I wanted. I did as he said and walked in, getting in a small line. I bought some sweet dumplings, smiling somewhat happily as I made the move to go back outside to Kakashi. I accidentally bumped into someone wearing a black cloak with red clouds, a my cheeks heating up as I apologized quickly before moving back outside, finding that Sasuke was already there. Whatever the two had been talking about before must've surprised him, or the fact that I walked out with sweet dumplings. It didn't last long, because he suddenly frowned at sensei.

"Let's eat somewhere else. I don't have much of a sweet tooth."

"Hm? Is that so?"

I looked at him surprise as I took a bite out of a dumpling. "You don't like sweets?" When he shook his head, I nearly choked in shock. "You poor, deprived boy…"

"Hn…"

"Listen, you stick together for awhile. Sasuke, take her wherever you're going after this."

I frowned at Kakashi-sensei's orders, confused as to what exactly brought this on. "Why do I have to babysitt her? She can take care of herself, can't she? Besides, I have personal things to do."

Kakashi sighed. "I see…And here I thought, since you two are good friends, that you'd want to be in the company of Hikari. I guess I'll just go see if Naruto wants to spend time with you instead, Hikari."

Sasuke suddenly grabbed my wrist and began to drag me away, leaving me shocked and even more confused.

* * *

When Sasuke had finished dragging her all over the place, he went off somewhere for a bit before returning. He began to practice the Chidori while Hikari watched him, continuing to eat her sweet dumplings at a slow pace. As soon as he had stopped and successfully made a hole in a nearby boulder, Hikari finished her dumplings and moved over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She was met with a somewhat strong push back as Sasuke began to do the Chidori again, making another hole in the boulder. Finally, he turned to look over at her.

"Let's go find Kakashi. He said he'd come meet us when he was done with whatever he had to do." They made their way back into town together and to Kakashi's apartment Sasuke made his way to the bedroom and opened the door. "Kakashi-" When Sasuke stopped mid sentence, Hikari peeked over his shoulder, he brown orbs widening slightly when she saw the sensei in his bed, Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy all in the room with him. "Why is Kakashi asleep? And why is this room full of Jonin?" When he got no answer he moved further into the room, dragging Hikari by the wrist. He looked at everyone angrily. "What're you doing? What the hell is going on here?"

"Uh, not much really." Guy said.

"Hey, is it true that Itachi has returned?" Someone that came running into the room exclaimed, earning an angry glare from Guy, "And that he's come here for Naruto?"

While Guy face palmed, Sasuke and Kari looked over at the guy, Kurenai closing her eyes, an angry look on her face. "Idiot…"

Sasuke eyes widened while his grip on Hikari's wrist tightened. She made a sound of surprise as Sasuke dragged her out of the room with him. They leaped out the window and took off, Kari still being dragged along. She recognized Naruto's apartment complex as soon as Sasuke made the move to open the door, only to have it reveal Sakura. She looked up at the two. "Hey, Sasuke, Kari-"

"Where's Naruto?"

"Oh, well I don't know, I just got here myself-"

Kari didn't even get to here her finish what she was saying because Sasuke began to drag her away again. They went to Ichiraku's next, Sasuke poking is head inside to look at the chef.

"Old man, Naruto stopped in here today. Do you know where he went after he left?"

"Oh, sure. Naruto, that's right…Let me see now…He met Master Jiraiya here around noon. They had a little bit of ramen and they said they were heading off somewhere."

'_MASTER JIRAIYA? THE LEGENDARY SANNIN?'_

"Where to?"

"I think he mentioned that Outpost town a ways out from the village. Yeah. And then he set out with Master Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya?" Sasuke repeated.

The chef held up 3 fingers, "Yeah, Jiraiya. He's one of the legendary Sannin. Now, if you wanna find him, you're looking for a great big old fellow with white hair."

"A big guy, white hair. Let's go, Hikari!"

As they ran to the gates that lead out of the village, Hikari felt her frustration growing as she was continuously being dragged around. "Sasuke, what the hell is going on? Who the hell is Itachi and why is he after Naruto?"

"Itachi Uchiha…" was all that he said. He knew that she'd catch on.

And she did. She wrenched her wrist out of his grip so she could run alongside him. "Then, Naruto-!"

"That outpost town isn't that far off!"

In a matter of minutes, they reached the town, Hikari staring down at in curiosity, admiring the liveliness of it for a moment until Sasuke began to run down the stairs, Kari following after him. When they didn't see Naruto or Jiraiya, Sasuke looked over at her. "Guess we'll just have to go door-to-door."

"Right!"

**First hotel~**

"Is there a dopey looking blonde kid staying here, about our age? He's traveling with an old man, a guy with white hair?"

The receptionist gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but this inn is for women only, I'm afraid."

They took off to the next hotel, both splitting up this time.

**Second hotel~**

"Is there a blonde kid staying here with an old man?"

The receptionist looked at Hikari with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, no one of that description is here."

"Uh, thanks anyways!"

**Third hotel~**

"Is there a goofy looking blonde kid staying here, around my age, with a big, white haired old man?" Sasuke asked quickly.

"Actually, we only have older guests here today."

Sasuke and Hikari both met up in front of the final hotel, both of them panting heavily from all the running around they had done. Before she could open her mouth to say something, Sasuke's hand was wrapped around her wrist again as he drug her to the receptionists desk, slamming his hand down on the desk. "Is there a dopey looking blonde kid about my age staying here now? He's traveling through the city with a big guy with white hair."

"White hair, you say?"

"Are they here?"

As soon as it was confirmed, they were upstairs, running to the designated room. Sasuke knocked on the door, and as soon as it began to open, Sasuke pushed it open, revealing a blonde kid and a white haired man…only, not the blonde kid and white haired man they were exactly looking for.

A sudden ominous chill went down Kari's spine, and she clenched her jaw. "I think…they're already here!" She took off at a quick pace, Sasuke following after her. As thoughts of worry clouded her mind, she instantly shook her head before looking forward. **"NARUTOOOOOO!"**

**0o0o0o0o0o0oo**

"Hard to believe such a child carries the nine-tailed fox." A blue skinned man said, Naruto staring up at both of them with wide blue eyes.

'_How does this guy know about the nine-tailed fox?' _

The one with Sharingan eyes spoke up, "Naruto…you're coming with us." Naruto continued to stare up at him. "Why don't we take a walk?"

'_These guys look like the real deal?'_

No longer in control of his body, Naruto was moved out in front of them, the blue skinned one speaking up again. "Hey, Itachi. It'll be a real pain if this kid makes a run for it. Maybe I oughta…chop off a leg just in case." When no protests were made, he moved forward with his large sword. The only thing that stopped him was a Kunai flying at him, hitting his sword and falling to the floor with a clatter.

"It's been a long time…Sasuke." Itachi pointed out.

"Itachi…Uchiha."

"Itachi…Uchiha?" Naruto mumbled quietly.

"Naruto!" Hikari exclaimed, moving out from behind Sasuke, sighing in relief when she noticed Naruto was okay.

"Hikari…"

"Huh? Oh, right!" While Hikari activated her Godaigon and performed some hand signs, Sasuke glared at his brothers back.

"Itachi Uchiha, I hope you're ready to die! It's just as you said, brother. I fostered my hatred for you, all this time. I've lived my life for one single purpose: **TO SEE YOU DIE! IT ENDS HERE! ENOUGH! YOU'RE DEAD!"** Sasuke exclaimed while the jab of electricity grew in his hand. **"NOW, HIKARI!"**

Hikari's blue and green eyes flew open as she finished the final seal, sending a glare at the two ninja before here. "Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!"

At least 20 roots shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around Naruto, pulling him out of the way as Sasuke ran at his brother. A large explosion made a large cloud of dust. When it disappeared, Hikari and Naruto's jaws dropped when Itachi was still standing. While Naruto began to do something, a loud snap coming from Sasuke was heard, followed by a scream of pain coming from him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto and Kari yelled in unison, Hikari running over to aid him. She nearly screamed when the blue skinned man was about to bring his sword down on poor Naruto, only to sigh in relief when smoke appeared and cleared to reveal a large toad blocking it. Jiraiya popped in behind Naruto and began to speak, though Hikari went back to tending to Sasuke.

'_His arm is broken…It's pretty bad, too.' _

"H-Hikari…move…"

"Huh?"

"All of you…stay out of this." Sasuke ordered, standing up. "The only one who is going to eliminate him…IS ME!"

Itachi stared at him with disinterest. "Go away. You don't interest me at the moment."

Sasuke snapped, clenching his hand into a fist and darting forward. "Well, get interested!"

Itachi kicked him back easily, sending him flying into a wall all the way down the hall.

"**SASUKE!"**

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto exclaimed, running forward. "Damn you lousy-"

"No, Naruto! Don't butt in, mind your own business!" Sasuke stood up and came out Itachi again, only to be sent back into the wall. Hikari watched helplessly as Itachi moved toward him and began to beat Sasuke, tears forming in her eyes as he pinned him to a wall. Suddenly, Sasuke let out a loud scream, and she couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes began to glow, and marks appeared all over her body, her hair floating around her slightly as she took off.

"**GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!"**

As she neared, she realized she had been reckless as Itachi knocked her back like a fly. Luckily, it wasn't as painful as she thought it would've been when she hit the floor. It looked like they were inside a mouth of some creature. Itachi and his blue skinned friend took off, a loud explosion coming from the end of the hall. Jiraiya took off, Naruto running after him, leaving Hikari and Sasuke. Grunting, she stood up and pulled Sasuke from the fleshy wall, laying him down on the floor, his head in her lap. She frowned when she realized his eyes were still open, looking like he was in some sort of trance. She didn't even pay attention to Guy when he appeared. All she paid attention to was Naruto giving her a pat on the back before she left with Guy and Sasuke back to the village, her head hurting terribly bad.

Not as bad as the pain in her heart. The guilt that had been added onto it made the emotional pain 20 times worse than before.

'_I'm sorry, Sasuke…I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect one of the most precious people to me…this is all my fault…I'm so sorry…'_

**

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**A/N: I totally failed, and made this pretty crappy. Sorry! But, hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review, please!**


	30. Wake up, you idiot

Kari sighed as she leaned back in the chair and stared at the occupant of the hospital bed before her. She stared at him sadly. "How come you had to do such an idiotic thing, you idiot?" She mumbled quietly before laying her head down on the side of the bed. "Maybe I'm the idiot instead for not trying to stop you…yeah…I'm the idiot."

She closed her eyes and mentally winced as the image of Itachi slamming Sasuke into the wall came back, the sound of Sasuke's pained screams entering her mind, causing her to reopen her eyes and shake her head. She stared at his unconscious form pitifully. _'When will you wake up?'_

Outside the room, Asuma stared through the crack of the hospital rooms door at Kari as she sat in the room that held Sasuke in it. It had been almost 3 days since Guy had returned with the severely injured Sasuke and Kari, who thankfully for him, had not been injured. For those three days, Kari had not once moved from her spot in the chair except for when she had to go to the bathroom. When visiting hours were over, the nurses would come to tell her that she had to go, but she ignored them and dared them to make her. Eventually, after two days, they gave up, and allowed her to stay.

"Are you going to just stare at me through the crack in the door or be nice and just come inside?" Kari mumbled, and Asuma chuckled slightly before pushing the door open and walking inside.

"How's he doing?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "The doctor said that he probably won't wake up for awhile. Until Jiraiya and Naruto find Tsunade and bring her back here, he probably won't wake up until she heals him, whenever or if they ever find her…"

Asuma frowned slightly when he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. "You haven't been sleeping properly, have you?"

"What're you talking about? I've been sleeping like a log."

"Don't lie to me, Hikari. The way those dark circles are looking, I would say you haven't even gotten a decent amount of sleep since you've been here. Go home and take a nice nap or something. Sasuke will still be here when you wake up."

She shook her head. "I'm not tired…I can't sleep long enough anyway, so why bother?"

His frown deepened at her tone. "Kari, look at me." Asuma ordered. She looked up at him with tired brown eyes, brown eyes that were different from before. They weren't bright like they usually were, but dull instead. The last time they had been bright and happy was…before the Chunin finals. "What's wrong with you?"

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I don't know…Uncle Asuma, I really don't know what's wrong with me anymore. I can't seem to do anything right at all nowadays. Just look at Sasuke here: I couldn't even try and stop him from taking Itachi on, and I couldn't stop Itachi from doing this to him. I couldn't….I couldn't stop mom and dad from going on that stupid mission, and I couldn't save moms life. I couldn't even help grandpa and stop Orochimaru from doing what he did…You're right about me not sleeping for a while. I haven't been able to sleep much since the village was attacked. I have nightmares every night now…and they've worsened because of this incident…I can't even fall asleep for more than 4 hours without waking up screaming or crying. I feel…weak and helpless…"

Asuma put a hand to her shoulder and located the pressure point there, knocking his niece out cold and scooping her unconscious form up into his arms. He walked over to the spare hospital bed in the room and set her down before walking out and closing the door behind him quietly.

"So, how's the kid?"

Asuma looked over at Genma as he leaned against the wall, chewing on the senbon in his mouth like he usually did. "The doctor said that he probably won't wake up until Jiraiya finds Tsunade and brings her back here."

"And what about her?"

Asuma sighed when he understood he was referring to Kari, his brows furrowing slightly. "She's been psychologically affected by everything that's happened so far, and this just made it worse, apparently. Her mental stability isn't as strong as it's always been, and she's having nightmares every night because of that. She thinks that she's weak and helpless because she couldn't stop Sasuke and stop Itachi from hurting him, and she couldn't stop Orochimaru from killing the Third Hokage. To make things worse, she thinks that because she didn't stop Takashi and Kaori from going on that mission that cost them their lives, and she couldn't save Kaori, that their deaths are her fault, too. She's never blamed herself for their deaths. Never. If she has, then she never said anything about it or showed it."

Genma frowned. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What're you gonna do?"

"What do you mean?"

"She needs help to regain the mental stability back. If she doesn't get that help, and she continues to go on missions, it might affect her while she's on them and it could get her killed. She needs a doctor, Asuma."

"If I send her to a doctor, she won't go. She'll just run away and say everything's fine and that she doesn't need a doctor. Besides, she won't even leave Sasuke until she's sure he'll be alright."

Genma sighed. "Stubborn as always…"

Asuma laughed. "You've got that right…"

"But still…she really should a psychologist."

"Genma, since when did you become her parent?"

"Since the day I started to train her. I'm her adoptive uncle, just like she calls all the other Jonin she knows, uncle."

"_Alright, now hold the Kunai like this, okay? And then…Throw it at the target on the tree! See? Now, you try." _

_Kari took the kunai from his hand and did as he showed her, throwing the kunai at the target on the tree and hitting it, almost getting a bull's-eye. She smiled at her work and turned to grin up at him. "Look! Look! I almost got it to the center! See, see? Look, Uncle Genma! Look!" _

_He laughed at her and knelt down to her level, patting her head. "Yeah, I see. Good job." _

"_Can I try again to see if I can hit the middle? Can I?" _

"_Sure. Here you go." He handed her another kunai and she aimed it at the target, hitting the middle this time. _

"_I did it! I hit the center!"_

Asuma sighed. "When Kakashi gets a little bit better, I'll talk to him about this. But for now, I think she just needs to sleep while she can."

* * *

Minorin Miyuzaki sighed as she picked up the gift basket full of fruit and walked down the busy streets of the Leaf Village, heading to the hospital. She walked inside and over to the desk.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me where Sasuke Uchiha's room is?"

The nurse sent her a nervous smile, "Oh, Sasuke's room? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that one of his friends that's staying in there is in a bad mood and she might-"

"Who, Hikari? Don't worry, I'm her best friend. I can handle her."

"Oh…well, Sasuke's room is 120."

"Thanks." Minorin walked down the halls quickly, heading up a flight of stairs before reaching the room that the nurse had told her to go to. She walked in, smiling when she found Hikari in the other bed, sound asleep. She sat down the fruit basket on one of the nightstands before pulling a chair to the bed Hikari was in, sitting down in it and closing her eyes in thought.

"_Minorin…"_

_An 11 year old Minorin turned around to stare at an 8 year old Hikari, a smile coming onto her face. It disappeared as soon as it appeared though as Minorin took in Hikari's form and face. "Kari, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"_

"_M-mother and father aren't coming back…"_

"_What?"_

"_I'll never get to see them again!"_

Minorin looked over at Sasuke. _'Uchiha, you better wake up…Otherwise, I'm not sure how long Hikari can keep her sanity…'_

**

* * *

**

**6 weeks later~**

Hikari still refused to leave Sasuke. Even when Sakura had offered to stay with him so Hikari could go home and rest, she refused to leave. It had only been a suggestion, but still, Hikari treated it as if it were an order. It had been that way with everyone that had come to see Sasuke and offered to stay with him. Kiba had even gone to the lengths of asking why she refused to leave.

'_Because, I have to.'_

That was her only answer. It wasn't really that she wanted to, but she felt obligated to stay and watch over the sleeping Uchiha.

But it was also because she felt guilty for not stopping him.

But of course, she was just as worried about him as Sakura was. That's why Sakura had offered to stay with her for the day, to keep her company and watch over Sasuke.

After all, who knew when Tsunade would even get to the village?

The sound of someone approaching the room alerted both girls to the doorway, where a blonde haired woman walked in, a small smile on her face. "May I come in?"

Hikari looked over at her for a quick second before looking back at Sasuke while laying her head in her arms as she was slouched over, leaning on the bedside. Sakura got up from the chair she had next to Hikari and moved over to the woman. "Uh, who are you?"

A black haired woman came in after her and the sound of obnoxious yelling followed. "Sakura, Hikari!" Naruto yelled as he ran into the room, running over to Sakura. "You'll never believe it! She's gonna make everything okay again! Don't worry, Sasuke's gonna be all right now."

Hikari ignored their conversation, until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Tiredly, she turned her head to look up at the blonde woman who gave her a reassuring smile before placing her hand on Sasuke's forehead. Hikari watched in awe as her hand began to glow a strange green. Suddenly, the glowing stopped, and Sasuke grunted. Hikari sat up abruptly and stared down at him.

Sasuke's obsidian eyes opened slowly, the first thing they saw being Hikari. Naruto smiled happily. "Sasuke!"

"Oh, Sasuke…" Sakura muttered in relief.

Sasuke sat up silently, his eyes holding a dead look in them. Hikari's lip trembled before she reached over and gently wrapped her arms around him in a hug, silent sobs wracking her form. "S-Sasuke…" Naruto and Sakura both stared at her in surprise as she hugged him. "Don't you ever scare us like that again, you idiot! **EVER AGAIN**! *Sniff* O-or next time, I'll put you in the hospital myself!"

Tsunade smiled at her words, before she was pulled out of the room again by Naruto, leaving Sakura and Hikari with Sasuke.

When Hikari had finished crying, she turned around to Sakura and surprised the pinkette.

She smiled for the first time in 6 weeks.

**

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**A/N: Boring, I know, but next chapter will hopefully be better! LATER TATERS!**


	31. Will of Fire, Behind the Mask is

**The following day~**

"Here you go! Some nice homemade tomato soup, just for you!"

Sasuke stared down at it quietly, picking up his spoon slowly before dipping it into the soup before him. Just as he was putting it up to his lips, the front door flying open caused him to drop it into his lap, burning him slightly. Hikari frowned as she turned to her front door, her tired eyes widening slightly when she saw Izumo and Kotetsu standing in the doorway.

"Guys? What's the matter?"

"It's Konohamaru." Izumo said.

"He's blockaded himself in the Hokage residence." Kotetsu explained.

"**THE LITTLE PEST HAS DONE WHAT?"**

**0o0o0o0o**

"He said he booby-trapped the entire office. Naruto was trying to get him to come out when we left, so we're not really sure if it worked or not."

Hikari marched up the stairs and into the residence, where Tsunade, Shizune, Naruto, Udon, and Moegi all stood around. Sasuke followed in after her, both of them surprising Naruto.

"Sasuke, Hikari!"

Tsunade looked over at them, "Let me guess: these two are the ones that you think can get him to come out?"

"Uh, actually, only Kari. She's his big sister."

"Oh, so that kid in there is your brother?"

Hikari nodded, bowing apologetically. "I apologize for his behavior. I'll try to get him out."

"I'm giving you till the end of the day." With that being said, she left, Shizune running after her.

She moved over towards the door calmly, knocking on it. "Konohamaru? Come out from that room so Lady Tsunade can come in and work."

"_**NO! IF SHE TRIES TO COME IN OR ANYONE ELSE, THEY'LL BE GOING AGAINST THE HOKAGE!"**_

"**YOU LITTLE PEST, I SAID COME OUT OF THERE! DON'T MAKE ME BEAT THE DOOR DOWN AND DRAG YOU OUTTA THERE!"**

"_**JUST TRY!"**_

While Hikari cursed under her breath, Naruto stepped up to the door and knocked. "Hey, Konohamaru. What're you doing in there anyway?" No answer. "Hey, I have an idea. You wanna go get some ramen? How does that sound? All you can eat and it's on me!" When Konohamaru didn't respond, he lost his patience. "Will you at least say something?"

"_Okay! Shut-up and go away!"_

While Naruto yelled at him, Hikari silently seethed. Sasuke sighed. "What a bother…"

Hikari sighed softly, moving forward and helping a beaten up Naruto up off the floor. She sat down in front of the door and put her ear against it. "Listen, if you tell me why you're in there, I won't be mad at you." No response. "If this is about me not letting you eat any sweet dumplings for dinner last night, I'm sorry. If you come out, I'll let you eat all the sweet dumplings you want!"

Naruto had had a enough. "You stubborn little-Okay, if that's the way you wanna play it then that's the way we're gonna play it!"

"_This is the Third Hokage's room!_ _NOBODY USES IT EXCEPT HIM!"_

'_I see…'_

"_I'm his grandson, and it's my duty to defend it!"_

"Hey, you little runt, this is no time for that! We're in danger, it's the village that needs defending!"

"_**SO WHAT? THIS STUPID VILLAGE CAN BURN DOWN FOR ALL I CARE!"**_

"That does it, you just crossed-"

Sasuke pointing at Hikari stopped him. "Taking your anger out on our home is wrong. If you're going to be angry at anyone, Konohamaru…Be angry at me. I haven't been a good sister to you. I haven't been comforting you like I should've been, and I'm sorry for not doing so. I-"

"_**JUST SHUT-UP, HIKARI, AND GO AWAY!" **_

She sighed, and just smiled. "I just want you to know, little brother, that no one's going to forget grandpa. After all, it's our job as his honorable grandchildren to make sure that his memory never dies," She stood up and began to leave with Sasuke. "Even those that we lose may be gone, the memories that we made with them will never die. They will live on inside of us forever."

'_Just like the will of fire…'_

Later that night when he came home, Konohamaru was met with a sharp poke to his forehead and found a nice bowl full of sweet dumplings at the dinner table, just for him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Things seemed to happen really fast. Lady Tsunade was sworn as our new Hokage, and things have gotten a lot better since then. We haven't really gotten many missions, so we've spent most of our time goofing off. Well, at least Naruto has…

"Hey, you wanna see it, don't ya? I'd say it's time."

"Er, time?" I repeated.

"For what?" Sasuke asked.

"Come on, you know what I'm talking about," He turned around for a moment. "Kakashi-sensei's real face." When he turned back around, he had a scary look on his face while a flashlight was shining on it, making it all the more scary. I thought it was pretty funny, so I laughed, while Sasuke turned away.

"Please. This is lame…You can count us out. We've finished today's mission so we're outta here."

I frowned as he tugged me away with him, _'Since when did I agree to follow him everywhere? Besides, this sounds fun!'_

"What if he has lips…" Naruto began, causing Sasuke to stop along with me, "Like a blimp?" I had to smack a hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing, but Naruto made it worse by asking another question. "Or buckteeth?"

I lost it. I fell to the ground, laughing hard. The very images that I conjured were just hilarious. I mean, come on, wouldn't blimp lips or buckteeth look hilarious on Kakashi-sensei? Huh? Anyone…?

Sigh.

So, we planned it out. We went and found sensei sitting around reading his porn and offered to treat him to some ramen, which is why we're sitting here now. Did I mention that I lost to rock, paper, scissors to each of them, which is why I bought the ramen.

**Normal POV~**

"Well, this is out of the ordinary." Kakashi said as the chef place a bowl of ramen in front of him.

"_Here you go!"_

_He looked over at his students suspiciously, "The four of you treating me to lunch? I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed on me." _

_In Kakashi's mind, snow fell on him, the four Genin smiling while Hikari and Sasuke pulled out signs. _

"_He fell for it!"_

He sent them another suspicious look. "You know what I mean?"

"GHH!"

_Another idea came into mind as the chef handed him a bowl of ramen. "Here ya go! Thanks for waiting."_

"_The four of you treating me to lunch? I wouldn't be surprise if it snowed on me…today!" He put his hands out as if to protect himself from the falling snow, which, to his surprise, never came. He reached over for the chopsticks, "Or something." His ramen exploded, ending up all over him while the four Genin smiled, Sasuke and Hikari whipping out signs._

"_He fell for it!"_

"Is that the idea?"

"GHH!"

_He let another idea drift into his mind while the chef sat his ramen in front of him. "Here ya go! Thanks for waiting."_

"_The four of you, treating me to lunch? You're not gonna drop a big pile of snow on me, are you? Or, something like that?" The bowl of ramen didn't explode as he reached for the chopsticks, "No, I'm just being silly." _

_A large gloved fist came flying at him, hitting in the face and sending him flying out of the ramen bar and into a fence._

"_He fell for it!"_

"Well?"

"GHH!"

"Come on, you guys are up to something, right?" Kakashi asked as he took in their facial expressions.

"W-wh-wha-what? Are you crazy?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, please! You just got out of the hospital, now, uh-please, why don't you just go ahead and eat!" Sakura said, gesturing at the bowl of ramen encouragingly.

He gave them another suspicious look and Hikari sent him a warning look. "I bought that bowl of ramen with my money, sensei, so hurry up and just eat the damn thing already!"

"Well…All right, then. I suppose I should just dig in." he stated, grabbing a pair of chopsticks as the chef sat down his bowl of ramen, the four Genin watching him intently from the corner of their eyes. And just as he was pulling down his mask-

"Hey, Sasuke! What a coincidence!" Ino exclaimed giddily, while Choji and Shikamaru grinned.

Naruto, Sakura, and Hikari all screamed, while Sakura reached for Ino. **"GET OUT OF THE WAY, INO PIG!"**

"**AW MAN, I CAN'T SEE SQUAT!"**

"**SHIKA, YOUR FACE IS BLOCKING MY VIEW!"**

Kakashi sighed contently, clapping his hands together. "All done! That was tasty."

Sakura and Ino were pulling on each others hair, while Naruto was holding down one of Choji's arms and Sasuke had him in a choke hold, and Hikari was pushing on Shikamaru's face. The four members of team 7 stared in shock, saying the same thing in unison.

"So fast!"

"Hm? Something wrong?" Kakashi asked, his students grinning stupidly, until they looked over at Ayame and her father, both of them blushing slightly.

"Okay, now I'm curious!"

0o0o0o0o0

"That's it!" Naruto exclaimed. "Nothing's gonna stop me from seeing that face!"

"Yeah, but how? You got any ideas?" Sakura asked.

"Don't you worry. We'll see it one way or another!"

Sakura bopped him on the head as he made that creepy face again, calling him a troll. As a large knot began to swell on his head, Sasuke proposed that the tail their sensei. In the end, that didn't work out so well.

"How'd he figure out we were tailing him?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe there were just too many of us." Sakura suggested.

"I agree with Sakura." Kari said.

"Oh, please! If you know how to hide, it doesn't matter how many people there are!" He turned around before turning back with the creepy face again, staring at both Hikari and Sakura. "Don't tell me you've forgotten all your jutsu, Sakura and Kari-"

This time, Hikari bopped him on the head while Sakura yelled at him.

"We should shadow him. It'll be good practice." Sasuke said, "But we should do it solo this time."

**Naruto's POV~**

Man, why is Kakashi-sensei's face always stuffed in that stupid little book he has? I mean, how can he even tell where he's going if he's always reading that stupid thing!

I jumped out from my hiding spot, moving around different walls and hiding. All the sudden, Kakashi-sensei was gone!

"Huh? What the-"

I went back to the spot that I had left Sasuke, Kari, and Sakura at, the three of them sitting on the bench under the umbrella, drinking something. They all looked over at me expectantly and I just scratched my head stupidly.

"He…got away."

"Just as clumsy as always." Sakura said, earning a dejected sigh from me.

"Why are you such an idiot?"

"Naruto…"

"Ugh…."

**Sakura's POV~**

I sat in the rain the entire time, and when I finally get sick of sitting around, I go to see why sensei is just standing around. What do I find? A DUMMY!

'_CHAA! THAT STUPID PERV!'_

**Hikari's POV~**

I had transformed myself into a cute and cuddly kitten, so Naruto had told me. I watched as Kakashi-sensei walked out from the book store and made my move quickly. I jumped out from my hiding spot and mewed. He looked down at me, and his one visible eye widened.

"BAD LUCK!" He jumped over me and took off.

That's when I realized I had transformed myself into a black cat.

I walked back to the others, all three of them looking down at me expectantly. Not feeling like turning back yet, I leaped up and perched myself on Sasuke's shoulder. They all stared at me expectantly.

"Sensei believes that black cats are bad luck."

We all hung our heads down.

When Sasuke went and came back, I had been expecting him to have good news when Sakura asked him how it went.

"I got tired of shadowing him."

Translation: I failed, too.

Later that day, we got a mission to leave the village so we could go help out on some farm. Since it would take a while to get there, we stopped at a hot spring along the way, the lady that ran it giving us a nice meal.

"I've never seen so much delicious looking food in my entire life!"

"Hn."

"Oh, wow!"

"How lavish!"

"Yum!"

Like we had planned, we didn't touch anything yet, which caught Kakashi-sensei's attention.

"What's with you guys? No one's picking up their chopsticks."

Sakura waved it off, "Oh, it's nothing! Don't wait on us, Kakashi-sensei, you go ahead and eat!"

"Actually, I'm kinda on a diet right now."

'_Diet? The hell?'_

Suddenly, Naruto grabbed the teapot and launched it at sensei. "Oh, no... my hand slipped! Ahhhhhhh!"

And just before it could hit sensei, he grabbed the table and knocked it over to shield himself, all of the food going with it. I wanted to cry.

**"AHHHH!"**

**"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!"**

Kakashi-sensei scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. My hand just slipped.

"**WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR HAND SLIPPED?"**

I was tired of this. While Kakashi sensei went to use the bathroom, we all huddled up. It was planned out by Sasuke that he and Naruto would convince him to get in the hot spring, but sadly for Sakura and I, we wouldn't be able to watch.

I lost interest in trying anymore for the day, so I got out of the water early and went back inside.

We left the next morning and headed for the farm. We were given our orders and left to work by Kakashi-sensei. I decided to just give up on trying to see what was behind his mask, so I let Sasuke and them do what they wanted. I was given the orders to clean out the stable stalls, so I headed for the barn. I finished pretty fast, and on my own, mind you. I hadn't really expected to see my other three comrades dressed like idiots while three guys were tied up against a fence post. I shook my head, deciding it best not to even ask.

In the end, we found out that he just had another mask behind the one he was already wearing.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: I ended this one kind of badly, but I hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless. LATER TATERS!**


	32. Birthdays and off to The Land of Tea!

Sasuke sighed as he walked down the streets of Konoha, only one hand in his pants pockets. After all, he didn't want to suffocate Hikari's birthday present.

Today was August 1st, which he amazingly remembered was the day of Hikari's birthday. He had surprised himself by even remembering such an insignificant date, but he could still recall her telling him after they had broken out of the hospital together. At first, he was just going to get her a coupon for some ramen at Ichiraku's, but when he had looked outside, he noticed her gift to him for his birthday. She had gotten him a tomato plant, and though he would never admit it out loud, he truly did like it.

It had been a long time since he had even received a birthday present from anyone. The last present he had received had been a kunai set from his parents before they had died. And Hikari's thoughtfulness made him feel…somewhat happy.

And since she had gotten him something, he had gotten her something. He reached the Sarutobi residence and knocked twice before the door was swung open by Konohamaru. Sasuke mentally grimaced as the smell of burnt toast reached his nose. Konohamaru was filthy with food and goop all over him, but he still managed to grin sheepishly.

"Er, there was a little accident in the kitchen!"

"I can tell that much by the food that you have all over you. Where's Hikari?"

"Um, she's still asleep!"

"Hn. I guess I'll have to wake her up if she wants her birthday present."

"AH! No!" Konohamaru exclaimed quickly, latching himself onto Sasuke's leg, earning a peeved look from the Uchiha.

"Why not?"

"I haven't finished her birthday breakfast yet! I have to finish it before she wakes up so she can have it in bed!"

Sasuke sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Look, I'll keep her occupied so you can finish the stupid breakfast. Just don't burn the house down."

"Will do, boss!" Konohamaru saluted to Sasuke as the Uchiha walked past him and to Hikari's room. The door was open a tiny bit, so he only had to push it open. He closed it as soon as he entered, walking over to Hikari's bed, where a sleeping lump lied, covered up.

He poked her cheek, earning a slap on the hand. "What?" She grumbled

"Hn. Wake up, Karasu. Your snoring is bothering everyone."

She peeked one eye opened and glared at him tiredly. "I know I don't snore, duck-butt. It's too early to be up, so go away…" She grabbed a spare pillow and threw it at his head, which he easily sidestepped.

"Fine. I guess you don't want your birthday present, then."

She shot up, a childish grin on her face. "You got me a birthday present! Lemme see, lemme see! Come on, Sasuke! I wanna see!"

He smirked at her childish behavior. "Close your eyes."

"Aw, but why?"

"Just do it!"

"Sheesh, don't have to yell about it." She closed them and smiled. "Okay, they're closed!"

"Good, don't open them." He pulled out her present from his pocket and held it in his hands. "Okay, open them."

Her caramel orbs slowly opened, a small light shining in them when she saw what Sasuke held in his hands. She reached out for the black and white kitten in Sasuke's hands and he handed it to her, watching as she stared at it in curiosity while it did the same to her.

"Y-you…you got me kitten for my birthday?"

"What do you think?"

She let a small smile settle on her face as she hugged the kitten to her. "I think…it's the nicest present that I've ever gotten from a friend before. But, why a kitten?"

He looked away, taking interest in the chair that Mr. Sneezy, her stuffed rabbit, sat in. "It…reminded me of you when I saw it in the pet store."

Hikari looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "Reminded you of me? How so?"

"It…had this lonely look in its eyes when it looked at me. The same look you get on your face from time to time, though it's gotten a bit better since you started seeing Dr…."

"Konno," Hikari supplied, earning a nod from Sasuke.

"Yeah, her. I thought that since you could use something as comfort, that this kitten would be an okay present for you."

Hikari sat the kitten down on her bed and stood up. Sasuke refused to look at her, so she leaned over to try and look at his face. "Sasuke?"

"Mmm?" He looked over at her by chance, and was met with her genuine smile that he hadn't seen in awhile. It was simply…

'_Beautiful…'_

She moved forward and pecked his cheek, causing him to turn red as she hugged him. "Thank you for the kitten. She's a cutie. It was a very thoughtful gift, and…I really like it."

He gulped, patting her back. "You're welcome…"

"**SIS**! You're not making out with Sasuke in there, are you?"

Both turned red, Sasuke looking away while Hikari threw the door open. **"YOU LITTLE PEST, WHERE DO YOU GO OFF GETTING IDEAS LIKE THAT?"**

"Ah! Please don't hurt me! I made you breakfast for your birthday!"

"Oh…Thanks, little brother!" Konohamaru grinned, only to grunt when he was met with a sharp poke to the forehead and a smirk to Hikari. "Now, go clean up my kitchen."

"You should be glad that it's your birthday…"

"Believe me, I am!"

She sat the tray down on her bed and ordered Sasuke to come sit next to her while she turned on the TV. Konohamaru had made her something with Tomatoes, and since she wasn't fond of them, she let Sasuke have it while she ate the pancakes and eggs he had made her, along with her toast. The little black and white kitten curled up next to her while she ate, purring in content.

Sasuke took in Hikari's appearance as he stared at her from the corner of his eye. She had grown her hair out a bit. It reached just a little bit past her shoulders now. She was also a little bit more thinner than he had remembered, but not too thin where it looked like she was anorexic. Besides, Hikari was better than that, and he knew it.

"Hey, I'm gonna go put these in the sink and go to the bathroom. I'll be back." She picked up the dishes and exited the bedroom, leaving Sasuke by himself. He glanced over at the nightstand and noticed something that he hadn't seen there before.

It was a picture of Hikari's mother and father, just the two. Sasuke got up from the bed and moved over to the nightstand, picking up the picture to get a better look at the two people in it. The woman looked like an older version of Hikari with the eyes and hair color. It was almost…uncanny. The man was definitely Asuma's brother, with the hair color and eye color. Hikari had definitely inherited her smile from him.

"That picture was taken about a week before they died." Sasuke turned around to see Hikari leaning in the doorway. She moved over and took the picture from his hands, gently. "I remember we had gone to get family portraits and after we were done with all four of us, mom and dad got one of just them. I remember Konohamaru crying because he couldn't be in it. This picture…was the last one that was taken before they died."

"If having to look at it everyday is so saddening, why not just put it away?" Sasuke asked, watching as she stared down at the picture.

She smiled. "Because these pictures make me feel happy. Every time I look at it, it makes it seem like they're still around, watching over me and my brother. That's why there are so many pictures in this house." Sasuke merely nodded, supposing that it made sense. Hikari knelt down and picked the kitten up, giggling as it licked her hand. "I think…I'm going to call you Aiko! What do you think, Sasuke? Does Aiko sound like a good name?"

"Hn…Sure, why not?"

"Aiko it is, then!"

Hikari had a lot of her friends come and see her that day. Asuma gave her some money, Genma gave her some senbon, Kakashi had given her some new shuriken and kunai, Minorin and Sakura had both taken her out to get her nails done, and lastly Naruto had stopped by and taken her out for ramen. It was a nice birthday.

**

* * *

**

**About a week or so later~**

"Okay, let's do it! Whatever the mission is I'm psyched and ready to go!" Naruto exclaimed, fist pumping the air.

"Hn."

While Naruto sent the Uchiha a glare, Sakura and Hikari glanced around. "But…where's Kakashi-sensei?"

"Man, some teacher. He's always the last one here."

"Kakashi won't be here at all." Tsunade said as she entered the room, Shizune right behind her.

"Grandma Tsunade, what's up?" Naruto asked.

"Stop calling me that, will you?" Tsunade grumbled as she took a seat.

"Uh, Lady Hokage? What's this about Kakashi-sensei not coming?" Sakura questioned.

"You know our forces are stretched thin. All of our Jonin are already busy on other missions, including Kakashi. You four will just have to handle this one on your own." She pulled out a scroll and gave them a serious look, "It's a B-rank escort mission. Someone important. Of course, it could develop into an A-rank mission if you run into trouble."

The four were silent, until Sasuke spoke up. "So who do we escort?"

"I don't know."

"Hold on, what do you mean you don't know?"

"Every four years, our neighbor, the Land of Tea, holds a dedication ceremony at the great Todoroki Shrine. And each time we're asked to escort a runner who will participate in the race that's part of the ceremonies. This year, the messengers who were bringing the request were attacked before they could get here."

"That's awful…" Hikari mumbled.

"Who attacked them?" Naruto asked.

"Um, I'm sorry but I'm still not following the story very well…" Sakura stated.

"Well, don't worry about that now. When you meet Boss Jirocho he'll fill you in on everything." Tsunade explained, dismissing them after telling them they needed to get to the Land of Tea by the end of the day.

**Mission to the Land of Tea!**

About an hour after we had left the village, Naruto turned to Sakura and I.

"Hey, Sakura, Hikari. You guys hungry at all?"

"A little bit, maybe."

"I'm starving!" I exclaimed.

Naruto threw a fist into the air. "Hey, good idea! Lunch break! And look, what a coincidence! There just happens to be a tea house right there!" I guess since I had told him I was starving, that was why he grabbed my arm and dragged me along with him. When Sasuke and Sakura caught up, we all sat down at a table, the owner coming over to us and asking what we wanted to eat.

"Some sweet bean soup!"

"I'll have the dumplings, please."

"Same as her, with a bowl of rice to go with it, please. What about you, Sasuke?"

"…Just rice."

"Very good! I'll be back in a moment."

As soon as she was gone, Naruto grinned excitedly. "I just hope we get some fighting in!"

"Don't you dare go making trouble, Naruto, not this time!" Sakura warned.

"I won't…"

"Just sitting around in the shade, sucking down sweet bean soup? The ninja's life is pretty cushy." I looked up to see that a boy had stopped at our table.

"What'd you say?" Naruto growled.

He smirked. "Guess you don't get much action in the Leaf Village, judging by how out of shape you look."

Naruto slammed a fist down on the table as he stood up. "That does it!"

The boy simply ignored Naruto and looked down at me. "Hey, where'd you come from, sweetie? I didn't mean you, of course."

"Uh, thanks…"

He bent down towards me, too close for comfort. "Hello there. I'm Idate Morino. So, uh, what do they call you?"

"**YOU GONNA PUNCH HIM IN THE NOSE, HIKARI, OR DO YOU WANT ME TO?"**

"Hikari, huh? That's a beautiful name…Well then, since fate has brought us together isn't it time we talked about our future?" Idate winked at me and I felt my face heat up.

"Future?"

He grinned, "Oh, you know, the part where you give up this ridiculous ninja business and run away with me."

"**HEY! QUIT HITTING ON HER OR I'M GONNA START HITTING ON YOU!"**

Idate frowned and stood back up straight. "Don't worry, I was just kidding around. But the rest of it, that's no joke. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a ninja! You better go on back where you came from or there'll be trouble. I'm warning you!"

"Yeah, well why wait? Bring it on, tough guy!"

"Sheesh, calm down, Naruto!"

"She's right. Just ignore the punk. We don't have the time." Sasuke said, closing his eyes and sipping his tea.

"Get outta here Sasuke! After what this guy said, don't you have any ninja pride? You can ignore it if you want, I'm gonna flatten-huh?"

"Hey, he disappeared!" Sakura exclaimed, and I glanced around.

"It's as if he was never here to begin with…"

While Naruto complained, our food was brought to us, along with two bills.

"Why two bills?" Sakura asked the lady, causing her to turn back around to look at us.

"Yours and your young friend that just left. He said you'd be paying for him."

I was mad now, since I had agreed to pay for everyone. **"THAT LITTLE IDIOT! WHY IS IT THAT THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN I'M PAYING FOR EVERYONE? WHY, WHY, WHY?" **I slammed all my money I had brought on the table before grabbing my dumplings. **"THINKS THAT HE CAN MAKE ME PAY FOR HIM, HUH? I'M GONNA CLOBBER HIM!"**

0o0o0o0o0o0

The four left the tea house in hopes to catch up with Idate, Naruto wanting to beat him up and Hikari wanting the money he owed her for making her pay for his meal. Eventually, they caught up to him in a forest after seeing him fall. Naruto laughed.

"HAH! Serves you right!"

"You got a lot of nerve. Did you think that you'd get away with it after making Hikari spend all of her money?" Sasuke asked, while Hikari popped her knuckles.

"Hope you've got some money to pay me back with, otherwise that pretty face of yours isn't gonna be so pretty after I clobber it."

Idate looked back and forth at them before falling to ground. "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?"

"I couldn't pay the bill! All my money had been stolen, and then you guys came and…I shouldn't have done it but I didn't know what else to do…" Idate explained. The four Genin jumped down next to Idate and Hikari knelt down next to him.

"Oh, you're kidding. All of your money?" Sakura asked.

"Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Naruto asked, something falling and hitting him on the head. When he reached down to pick it up, Idate grabbed it and pocketed it, standing up and pulling off his leg warmers and holding them out.

"On your mark. Get set. GO!" He dropped them and they created a large cloud of dirt.

"Leg weights?" Naruto asked, Hikari pointing after him.

"Look!"

"There! He's off and running again!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We'll see about that!" Naruto exclaimed, taking off to the trees while his three teammates followed after him.

"This kid's asking for it." Sasuke stated, Hikari nodding in agreement.

"Is this guy for real?" Sakura asked no one in particular as they were catching up to Idate.

"I told you, he's fast."

Hikari frowned when they had to stop because Idate had gotten farther away than they had expected. In the end, they decided that he was out of their league, and continued onto the Land of Tea.

**

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**

**A/N: Ah, so…yeah, Sasuke might've been a little too OOC in the beginning…Let me know what you thought if this chapter, yeah? **


	33. The Race is on! Hikari's feelings

"Welcome, and thank you all for coming." Boss Jirocho said, Naruto stepping forward and bowing slightly.

"I bid you greetings and offer you my services. I have come from the village Hidden in the Leaves which is also the place of my birth. I was raised on ramen and hard work, and given the family name of Uzumaki. But I'm known to everyone-"

"As the knucklehead." Sasuke supplied, earning a giggle from Hikari.

"As the knucklehead!" As soon as he realized what he said, Naruto growled in anger. "Ah, very funny!"

Jirocho laughed before smiling. "You haven't changed at all I see."

"Yeah, well you haven't changed much either, big guy."

"Watch it, Naruto!" Sakura warned.

Jirocho waved it off, laughing as he told them all to sit down so he could explain the situation to them. Hikari only paid attention to the important parts. All the had to do was escort the runner that was participating in the great race, and that was it. Hikari figured that it would be simple…that is, until the person they were supposed to escort came in.

Naruto and Idate both screamed.

Since they didn't have to leave until the morning, the members of team 7 decided to explore the little town. When they walked into a small little shop, Hikari and Sakura frowned at the ridiculous prices. "Man…And I thought food was more expensive…"

A loud crash coming from across the street caused Sasuke, Hikari, and Sakura to run out of the shop they were in to see a man lying on the ground, three men in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The man on the ground apologized.

"What's wrong with you? When we want something, we take it, you got it? You wouldn't even be in business if weren't for the Wagarashi." One of the thugs stated.

"I know, I know! It's just, to take it without paying me for it…"

The thug cracked his knuckles before grabbing the man off the ground and readying to punch him. His fist was stopped by Sasuke's hand. "Who are you?"

Sasuke frowned at him, "Why don't you and your friends take a hike?"

"If I were you, I'd listen to him." Hikari stated, glaring at the thugs.

"Why you asked for it, punk!"

Hikari made several tree roots pop out from the ground and wrap themselves around the men while Sasuke dealt with them.

"Ain't acting so tough now, are ya kid?"

"That oughta teach you a thing or two you little pipsqueak." The bent down to pick up there fallen leader, throwing the man they had been bothering back his wallet. "Don't mess with us, or next time you won't get off so easy."

As they were walking away, Hikari used the roots as whips while Sasuke cracked his knuckles, sending the men running. Hikari smirked, her smirk turning into smile as the man thanked her and Sasuke.

It was always nice to help out someone in trouble.

Hikari yawned loudly, stretching her arms over her head as she listened to the crowd cheer as firecrackers were set off.

"Whoa! I had no idea it was such a big deal!" Naruto exclaimed, taking in the crowd all at once. "So, what kinda race is it anyway?"

When Sakura explained the part of the race that involved riding a boat, Hikari got excited. It meant she could practice manipulating water while on the job.

There was one problem, and that was that Idate didn't really seem to want their help.

To make matters worse, when the gun was fired, Idate went in the other direction, away from where the boats were docked. That was when Hikari was convinced that the boy had a screw lose somewhere.

"Hey, Idate!" Naruto called after him, "The ocean is the other way! Where the hell do you think you're going, ya idiot! You have to turn around!"

"You can forget about it, there's no way I'm turning around!" Idate exclaimed, continuing to run, picking up his pace.

**The Race is on; Trouble on the High Sea!**

As they followed Idate, Naruto managed to catch up. That was when Hikari noticed something.

"Someone's cast genjutsu."

"I don't even think they've even noticed it." Sasuke said as the two continued running below.

Next thing they knew, Idate had fallen over the cliff and they had managed to get Naruto go after him on a rope. While Naruto held onto Idate, Sakura, Hikari, and Sasuke pulled them up.

"Man, that was a close one." Sakura mumbled.

"Somebody set up one genjutsu on top of another!" Sasuke explained, "That's not very easy to pull off."

"Plus it takes a lot of chakra!" Hikari added, grunting as they pulled on the rope. When they'd gotten the two back up safely, Idate stood up and scoffed.

"Look, I didn't need your help, okay?"

"You didn't need it? Hey, listen you fat-head, how about a little thanks for saving your life?"

"You only saved me because you're bound to by duty! There's no need for me to thank you!"

"What did you say?" Naruto growled out, earning a whack upside the head from Hikari.

"Stop it Naruto. He's absolutely right." Sasuke stated while Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "But look, if you don't wanna wind up dead, then I suggest you stick close to us."

"Hmph." Idate muttered, beginning to walk off.

"Hey, where're you going anyway? What happened to the port?" Naruto asked, causing Idate to stop and turn around.

"What about it? Forget the port, I'm headed north from here."

Sakura and Hikari stared at him curiously while Sakura spoke up. "You are? So does that mean it's faster that way?"

"That's right."

"Yeah, maybe. How do we even know we can trust this guy?" Naruto asked.

"Hn, that's the problem with all you ninja!"

"What?"

"Look, at this time of the year, there are some pretty strong seasonal winds blowing hard across the sea. Back at the starting point, I noticed the clouds. I could see the wind was blowing toward us. On top of that, there's a port to the north, where the ocean current flows directly into Nagi island. That's what I was saying. You oughta use this a little more right here." Idate told him, pointing at his own head.

Before Naruto could open his mouth to retort, Hikari slapped a hand over his mouth, sending Idate a grin. "Okay, I'll be sure that he does, but right now, don't you think that we should all, oh, I don't know…KEEP MOVING?"

They took off after that, making it to a beach, which was actually very pretty in Hikari's view. They got a boat, courtesy of an old man that was friends with Idate, and they were soon out on the water and on their way to the half-way point. While Naruto and Sakura made sure the sails were secure, Hikari stood in the back of the boat with Sasuke, who was steering. Hikari was messing around with her Godaigon, testing it out on the water. She laughed happily when she managed to make a small sphere of water and move it around before letting it drop back into the water.

"Cool!"

Naruto brought up something about the chunin exams, and Idate said that they had lowered their standards with the proctors. He had given himself away.

"I remember now. Idate Morino." Sasuke stated, Hikari frowning.

"Wait a sec…" She walked over to stand next to Idate, gaining his attention. "Hey! The proctor of the first exam was Ibiki Morino…"

"What?" Idate exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders. "Did you say Ibiki? He's alive? My brother's really alive?"

She gasped. "He's your brother?"

An arrow nearly hitting Hikari stopped them from their conversation so they could stare down at it. She looked over to see Sasuke staring at her in shock before he looked out behind them. "It's an ambush."

More arrows came flying at them, the four Genin and Idate deflecting them with knives. "Naruto and I will fend these guys off, Sakura, Hikari, you two keep an eye on Idate.

"Maybe we should just run." Sakura suggested.

"It's too late for that." More arrows came at them, hooking themselves onto the boat. Sasuke and Naruto cut the rope, making it seem easy, until Sakura screamed. Clones appeared on the boat, and Sasuke activated the Sharingan, instantly figuring out one of them wasn't a clone.

"You better stay close to our side, Idate." Sakura said.

"No way! Why would I want help from a bunch of ninja."

"Because, if you don't listen to us, you are going to die!" Hikari screamed, sending him an angry glare. "Stop acting like a stubborn little child and listen to Sakura!"

"Naruto, behind you!"

Hikari activated the Godaigon, frowning when she realized all the clones had changed into water clones. Suddenly, it began to rain…oil?

Hikari frowned, her blue and green orbs widening when she saw Sasuke.

0o0o0o0o0o

When I saw the heat signature in his chakra building up, I instantly knew what he was doing.

"**SASUKE, DON'T USE THAT JUTSU!"**

Suddenly, an arrow that was on fire landed on the boat and into a puddle of oil, the boat catching on fire.

'_DAMMIT!'_

"Hikari, manipulate the water and put it out before the whole boat burns up!" Sasuke ordered me, and I stared at him in shock.

"I can't do that! I can't even manipulate the water with my Godaigon properly yet!"

"Sasuke, what do we do? The fire is out of control!"

"We dive into the ocean! We're just gonna have to swim to the port at Nagi Island."

I kicked a clone into the water before it could manage to hit Sasuke, earning a quiet thanks from him.

When I noticed that Idate wasn't listening to Sakura, I yelled at him. **"YOU BLOCKHEAD! WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET YOU DIE, SO JUST GO! IT'S OUR JOB TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE SAFE!"**

"But-!"

"**JUST GO, IDATE! JUST GO!"**

Sakura said some more to him, and finally, he dived in. Eventually, the four of us jumped in after him and began to swim. We were about halfway there when Naruto asked about the wound that Sakura had received.

"I remember those guys now."

"Those rain village ninja, you mean." Sasuke said, and I nodded.

"Hah! Are you kidding? Those wimps, we can handle them!"

"What if they're headed towards Idate this very moment?" Sakura asked, and Naruto got a look of realization on his face as we stopped swimming.

"Whoa, he might be in danger!"

I wanted to whack him for stating the obvious, but I decided against and let Sakura just yell at him. "Of course he's in danger, that's just what I'm saying!"

I suddenly felt something around my ankle before it completely grabbed it and pulled me under the water. I struggled, looking up to find my comrades swimming after me. I mentally screamed as I watched several water clones grab Sakura and Sasuke and pull them down. Naruto summoned a bunch of shadow clones, several coming to my aide and freeing me. I went to swim towards them, but another one grabbed me and I punched him. A large whirlpool showed up, and I figured that it was Naruto's doing. I had been so engrossed in trying to get to my friends, I didn't see the last clone that there was come up behind me. Before I could manage to get away, I felt something hit the back of my head, darkness consuming me.

_0o0o0o0o0o_

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the scene happening before him. He swam down with all his might and got rid of the clone before grabbing Hikari and pulling her up to the surface with him. Sasuke felt himself panic a little as he swam to shore, Sakura and Naruto right behind him. He laid Hikari down on the sand, bending down and listening for breathing.

And when he heard her faint and quiet breaths, he thanked whatever god was up there.

"Is she…"

Sasuke picked Hikari up and placed her on his back. "She's alive, just unconscious. We're wasting time we haven't got. We need to find Idate."

Sakura followed behind him, Naruto next to her. She glared at Hikari's unconscious form on Sasuke's back.

'_You said that you didn't like him…That the only thing you thought of him as was a comrade, a teammate…A friend.' _

If people could change color, Sakura would be green.

* * *

"_Mommy, do you guys really have to go?"_

_Kaori smiled sadly, kneeling down in front of the 8 year old. "Hikari, you know that daddy and I would love to stay here with you and Konohamaru instead of go on a mission, but it's our duty as shinobi of the leaf to do so. I promise that we'll be back in a week, you'll see. We'll be just fine."_

_Hikari, despite being sad, smiled brightly. "Okay, mommy! You and daddy have a nice mission!"_

"_See you in a week, munchkin!" Takashi exclaimed, pressing a kiss to her forehead while Kaori stroked her hair. _

"_Bye!"_

'_**I didn't…I didn't tell them to be safe like I would always tell them before they would go on a mission…and they died.'**_

"_Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong? Please get up!"_

"_I'm…not sure if I can, Hikari."_

"_Yes you can…up."_

_Kaori made the move to push herself up, only to fall back down and roll over onto her back, the rain falling on her face. She glanced over at a sniffling Hikari and gave a week smile. "Dear, sweet, little Hikari? Do you remember the song of the wind? How it talks to you if you close your eyes and listen carefully."_

"_I think so, but why do I have to know it, you've gotta be here to teach me!"_

"_Heh…I'll be with you. Even if you can't see me."_

"_What? But I can always see you!"_

"_Hikari…never forget that I will always be with you. Promise me that you'll take care of Konohamaru…"_

"_I promise, but you're gonna be there to take care of him, momma!"_

_Kaori gently squeezed Hikari's hand as the 8 year old cried. "Don't cry…Hikari…Be brave."_

"_Momma, please get up! Please! You've gotta get up!"_

"_Remember to believe in yourself…Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't make your dreams come true…Hikari. Don't let them kill those dreams you have…Don't let someone rip whatever dreams you have away from you."_

"_How can they come true if you're not here with me? I need you here, momma!"_

"_Only you can make those dreams you have a reality…Only you…Don't let someone take away those precious dreams from you…" She reached up and touched her face. "My honor, my dreams…they're yours now, Hikari. Always remember to listen with your heart… It whispers, so listen closely."_

_Kaori began to sing quietly._

'_Sing a song _

_And for a moment_

_You will be visited by the wind_

_Sing a song and for a moment_

_Dream sweetly of the wind,'_

_Kaori's breathing became labored, earning a grunt from. Hikari began to sing along with her. _

'_Sleep now until_

_The night is dawn_

_The wind and the night song_

_They are there_

_However the song_

_My child_

_Will go on _

_Forever….'_

_Hikari sang the last three lines by herself. Kaori gave her one last smile before her eyes closed and her hand fell to her side. "Mother? Mother?"_

'_**I couldn't do anything…to save you…and it's my fault that you're gone! MOM!'**_

"**IT'S MY FAULT! IT'S MY FAULT!"**

Everyone's attention fell on Hikari as she screamed, tears streaming down her face. Sasuke went over to her immediately, grabbing her wrists.

"Calm down, Hikari! What's wrong with you?"

She stopped flailing around, pulling her shaking hands out of Sasuke's grip. She stared at them for a moment before resting her head in them, her tears no longer falling. "Just a nightmare…a really bad nightmare."

Sasuke knew she was a terrible liar, even when she tried.

"Hn…You really need to work on lying, Karasu."

She cracked a small smile. "Whatever, duck-butt…"

Apparently, Naruto had taken Idate with him on his back to the check-point. Sakura, Hikari, and Sasuke managed to catch up with them, just in time too. A man with green hair was about to kill Idate, had Sakura and Hikari not thrown kunai at him to stop him.

"Hey, guys! Excellent timing!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Don't sweat it, Naruto. Just sit back and leave this clown to me…"

"And me!" Hikari said, smirking.

"Heh, this clown's tougher than you think."

"It doesn't make any difference of however many of you there are," The man, who Hikari remembered Sasuke telling her that his name was Aoi, "You'll never defeat me. I'm Aoi of the rain, and I wield the blade of the Thunder Spirit!"

'_That blade belonged to the 2__nd__ Hokage!' _

"Is that so?" Sasuke asked, his tone bored. He activated his Sharingan, Hikari activating the Godaigon. Sasuke ran forward and tried to use Chidori on Aoi, only to be pushed back, landing flat on his back.

Hikari closed her eyes and reopened them to glare at Aoi, who smirked slightly as she ran forward with a kunai knife.

"Well, the Legendary Godaigon of the Kietsu clan…How on earth a pathetic little brat like you inherited it is beyond me. You'll never master it like Kaori Kietsu did!"

Hikari jumped back, the insult angering her. Sasuke stood back up on his feet, his hair shadowing his eyes. "Take it back…Take back what you said."

"What're you talking about?" Aoi asked.

"I'm warning you…Don't mess with me!" He formed another jab in his hand, "I'm Sasuke of the Leaf Village. The last…OF THE UCHIHA!"

Sasuke hit the blade with his Chidori, managing to crack it a bit. It caused an explosion, blinding everybody. Sasuke's pained screams rang in Hikari's head as she stared up at his helpless form, being shocked by the blade in Aoi's hand. Aoi flung him off, and onto the bridge, that looked very unstable to Hikari.

She ran over to Sasuke, trying to shake him awake. He was out cold. "Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up!"

Aoi smirked. "It's a long way…to the bottom of the sea."

Idate ran forward. "Leave them alone!"

Aoi knocked him back, and Hikari glanced over her shoulder to see what had happened. Aoi cut the rope and the bridge fell apart, Sasuke falling and dragging Hikari with him. Hikari's eyes widened. Quickly, she flung Sasuke on top of her so both of her hands were free. She made several hand signs quickly and several roots shot out from the side of the cliff, grabbing onto her and setting her down on a smaller little ledge that could hold both her and Sasuke. She sighed in relief.

"Idiot! Why do you always try to take things on all by yourself? Why?"

Hikari brushed some hair out of his face, sighing and staring up at the cloudy sky.

'_Why…why is it that I fell for a big jerk like you?'_

**

* * *

**

**A/N: DUHN-DUHN! Hikari's feelings for are lovely Sasuke are revealed! Lol, so next time, we're back in the Leaf Village, for the final chapters for part one! Should I make a separate story for Part two or just have it in the same story? Lemme know what you think!**


	34. Bitter Rivals and Broken Bonds!

**A/N: Thanks to all of the lovely reviewers out there! You guys are amazing! Enjoy this intense and dramatic chapter, along with things between Sasuke and Hikari (but just a little :D)! If Sasuke is OOC, I apologize! Also, let me know if I should just continue writing this, even into Shippuden, or should I make a seperate story for Shippuden? Let me know! enjoy!**

* * *

Idate won the race and the village had sent a boat to pick us up. I hated the boat ride back. Naruto was overly hyper, Sakura seemed mad at me for some reason, and Sasuke was all glum. I knew why. It was because he couldn't beat that Aoi creep and Naruto was able to.

Green really didn't suit Sasuke. It just wasn't his color.

I don't really know what the guy said to him, but I know it was enough to piss him off and put him in a bad mood. It wasn't my place to really ask, so I didn't.

But that didn't mean I wasn't worried. Because I was. And I still am.

I smiled slightly as I sat down a vase full of irises on the table next to Sasuke's bed. "You're really lucky, Sasuke. Your injuries weren't so bad, so you'll be out of the hospital in no time! Sakura and Naruto were glad to hear that." He didn't respond and I sighed. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and a pair of grey Capri sweat pants. He looked…gorgeous, something that I didn't used to think he was.

Don't ask me how it happened, because it happened when we were training for the chunin exams, sometime around then.

"Sasuke, are you all right?"

But to no avail, I didn't get a peep out of him.

**The Battle Begins; Naruto VS Sasuke! Bitter Rivals and Broken Bonds!**

I growled when he just ignored me, and feeling a bit brave I carefully got onto the bed and sat on top of him. "What the hell is your problem? Why aren't you saying anything?" I asked, holding the sides of his face in my hands.

He made a face, not a very appealing one, before falling back and crossing his hands behind his head. He glanced out the window before looking up at the ceiling.

"Karasu?"

"What, duck-butt?"

"Do you…do you think I'm weak?"

The question itself surprised me, along with the look in his eyes. It looked…kinda sad. It was terrible. I sighed, closing my eyes.

"I'm not quite sure, how I can put it without you taking it the wrong way, but…to put it simply, the way that I classify people as weak is if those people break the way of the shinobi, or they don't care about their home or friends. But you…Sasuke Uchiha, are nowhere near my standards of being weak. You're very brave, Sasuke. And I know that even if you didn't want to, that you would still help your friends when they need you the most….even if it cost you your life. I don't know what that Aoi guy told you back there in the Land of Tea, but…I want you to forget it and move on. I know that you're strong, Sasuke. Stronger than Naruto, if it makes you feel better. Unlike Naruto, you're not a Knucklehead. You're Sasuke Uchiha, my best friend."

He sat up, and I hadn't noticed that I had been gently tracing his curse mark. I felt my cheeks heat up and made the move to pull my hand away, only to have Sasuke grab it and hold it. "Don't…it feels nice."

So, I kept continuing my ministrations to the curse mark.

"Hikari?"

"Mm?"

He looked up and leaned in, and I felt my heart beat speed up, my face turning pink. But…he reached a hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear instead.

"That piece of hair in your face was bothering me."

Cue anime fall.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why the heck did I think he was gonna kiss me? There's no way Sasuke feels that way about me!'_

I smiled nonetheless, looking out the window. "Sure is a nice day out, huh?"

"Hn…"

He laid back down and closed his eyes, and that's when I noticed something really important.

Sasuke never smiles…genuinely!

First thing on the to do list once Sasuke get's out of the hospital: **MAKE HIM SMILE FOR REAL!**

I hopped off of the bed and sat back down in my chair, allowing him to rest. Sakura had been here earlier but she'd gone to get something for Sasuke to eat about 30 minutes or so ago. I heard footsteps approaching, and Sasuke sat up, just as Sakura stopped outside the room, only…

"_Yo, Sakura! I'm here!" _

Naruto came, too. I glanced over at Sasuke to find an angry look on his face. If he was really mad at Naruto, and knowing Sasuke, he'd do something stupid. So, I did what I thought was smart and what I thought might work. I jumped up from my chair and opened the door, closing it and stepping over to my two friends, stopping in front of Naruto who smiled when he saw me.

"Kari, hey!"

I waved. "Hey, Naruto. Listen, um…I'm not so sure if you should go in there…"

"Huh?"

'_Man, I sure hope I don't hurt his feelings even though I'm being as kind as possible…' _"Well…Sasuke has a bit of a headache, and well…You're kind of loud…and bright…" _'Bright? What the hell do his clothes have to do with this?'_

"OH! Sorry, I'll do my best and try to keep my voice down a bit!" Naruto said, bringing his normally loud voice down several notches. "Now, let's go see Sasuke!"

As they entered, I tried to grab Naruto. "Oh, but Naruto…"

Well, so much for that…

I ran back in the room, taking a seat on Sasuke's bed since Sakura had taken the chair. She had brought apples, one of my favorites, but apples were the least of my concern now.

Since the window was open, it was blowing in a small breeze. A breeze that was ominous to me.

Sakura sat down the bag of apples after showing them to Sasuke, looking around. "That's weird…I wonder where I put that knife I had before."

Oh, that's right…I'd moved it away from Sasuke a bit so he wouldn't throw it at Naruto.

"It's right in front of you, Sakura!"

And so much for it staying hidden.

"Oh!"

Naruto laughed at her. "You're so lame, getting all scatterbrained just because you're around Sasuke!"

Sakura yelled at him, and I watched as Sasuke silently fumed while glaring at the blonde from the corner of his eye. I could tell he was really getting angrier and angrier with him by the second. I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed Naruto was now on the floor, courtesy of Sakura, who was now peeling Sasuke an apple.

"Done! All peeled and ready. I'll cut it so it's easier to eat." Sakura said, cutting a slice and poking it with a toothpick, picking it up and showing it to Sasuke while she smiled. "Here. Wanna try one?"

He glanced at her for maybe two seconds before he slapped the plate and slices of apple out of her hand, causing her to scream in surprise, and Naruto to scream in pain, due to the plate falling on his head and breaking. He shot up and looked around at the mess.

"Sasuke!"

"What the heck's going on?"

Sasuke glanced at him before fully turning to glare at him, a very…well, indescribable look of anger on his face as he glared at Naruto.

"Hey, what's with that look?" Naruto asked, "Y-you don't have to glare at me like that!"

I laughed nervously, moving over to grab Naruto in order to rid the room of him. "Haha, Naruto, I think this would be the best time to-"

"You. Naruto."

Too late.

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"I want you to fight me. Fight me now."

I knew he would do something stupid!

"What? We're in a hospital, you just got patched up by Grandma Tsunade. What're you talking about?"

"Shut-up and fight!" He activated his Sharingan, and I knew that he was being 100% serious. "Do you really think you've saved me? I don't care if she's the Fifth Hokage, you shouldn't have gotten her involved in this!" If I wasn't too busy worrying, I would've slapped him for his disrespectfulness towards Lady Hokage. He jumped up from the bed, throwing the sheet off. "You did say you wanted to fight. Well, now it looks like you've got your chance. That is, unless…you've chickened out."

"Wait, Sasuke! Don't do this! Naruto, say something! This is crazy! Hikari, do something!"

I mentally groaned, asking myself when I became the peacemaker. "I'm not quite sure…if there's anything I can do, Sakura."

"Actually, this is perfect! I was just thinking about how I wanted to kick your butt!"

"Hey, why don't you guys talk about this!" Sakura suggested, trying to be the peacemaker, "What do you say?"

"Sasuke…" I muttered, hoping to get his attention.

He jerked his head in the direction that led to the roof. "Follow me."

Not really wanting Naruto to die while they made their way to the roof, I followed after them, waling behind Sasuke while Naruto was behind me. If were to say that I wasn't the least bit worried about the outcome of this, than I would be lying. Because I was worried to death.

There were sheets hanging out to dry on clothes lines on the roof. It felt weird, having to watch two of my closest friends facing each other like they were right now, getting ready to fight. This fight…would be nothing like when Sasuke and I fought back in that canyon. I think that's why sensei made us do it, though…in order to prepare us incase we really had to put our whole beings into fighting each other. But Naruto…he hadn't gone up against Sasuke before like this. If the Knucklehead wasn't careful about his moves, I didn't doubt for a second that Sasuke would kill him.

Because the look in those red eyes told me that he would if he could.

This was the first time that I wouldn't be cheering for my friends, since I had two of them going up against each other.

"You…an idiot like you has no business acting high and mighty!"

"Hah! What happened to the calm, controlled Sasuke? Am I making you nervous? It looks like you picked a fight with me and now you're too scared to go through with it, is that it?"

"Let's just do this!"

"Put on your headband and we will. I'll wait."

"Not to worry. I don't need that thing."

"Just do it. Come on!"

"There's no reason to put it on, cause you won't be able to make a scratch on my forehead."

"That's not the point! Come on, you know putting your headband on is a testament of fighting on equal terms as a leaf shinobi!"

In other words, fighting fairly.

"There you go, acting all high and mighty again. You don't honestly believe that we're equals!"

"Heck yeah, I do! All this time, I never thought I was inferior to you in any way!"

The wind picked up, blowing my hair around as I watched Sasuke. "You're a complete embarrassment!"

"Only because next to me you're embarrassed at how weak you are! Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

And suddenly, both of them snapped.

"**NARUTO!"**

"**SASUKE!"**

I watched as Sasuke did a roundhouse kick on Naruto, who came flying back down. Sasuke grabbed him again, only Naruto managed to get out of his grip and flip. Sasuke tired doing a series of punches, and amazingly, Naruto blocked every single one of them, all except for one, which sent him flying into a line of sheets. When Sasuke lifted of the sheet, Naruto was gone. He was on the water tower, and he came flying down, punching Sasuke, who flipped around and returned the punch. He went flying into more sheets, and Sasuke began to punch him repeatedly. Sakura covered her face and closed her eyes while I simply shut mine. I reopened them to find that Naruto had kicked Sasuke into the air.

"**I'VE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF THIS!"**

They fought in midair for awhile until Naruto landed back on the ground and made a hand sign. "Multi-Shadow clone jutsu!"

A bunch of Naruto's appeared, all of them circling in Sasuke. I knew Naruto was going to use his Uzumaki Barrage, and I also knew that it wouldn't work. Sasuke blocked it and used the Fireball jutsu, getting rid of all the clones, burning anything else in the way as well.

"No! Naruto!" Sakura shouted worriedly from her spot next to me. When the flames cleared, there were two Naruto's still standing, a glowing orb of what appeared to be spinning chakra in their hands. Sasuke made a jab of electricity in his hand.

"**CHIDORI! 1000 BIRDS!"**

'_This is bad…both of those combined might just destroy the hospital!'_

"Come on, stop it…" I muttered. When they didn't look like they were going to, I yelled. "Stop it, both of you!"

I ran forward, ready to do anything I could to stop them from destroying the hospital.

And I was terrified.

"**STOP IT! DON'T DO IT! DOOOOONNNNNN'T!"**

* * *

'_Dammit!'_

'_Can't stop!'_

And just before both of their attacks could hit and kill Hikari, someone grabbed both of their wrists and spun them away, sending them flying into the water towers. Hikari fell to her knees and sighed in relief as she realized Kakashi had shown up just in time. Sakura ran over to her, asking her if she was okay.

"What do you two think you're doing up here? That was a little intense for a sparring match, wasn't it? What's wrong with you two?"

Naruto pulled his hand away from the water tower he had hit with ease, while Sasuke's hand was stuck. Hikari jumped up and ran over to him, grabbing onto his stuck arm and helping him pull it free, a large jet of water streaming out. Sasuke stood up and smirked when he saw the tiny little stream of water Naruto's impact had made.

"What were you thinking? Were you really going to kill him, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, sitting up on top of the water tower Sasuke hit, causing them to look up at him. "You've really got to watch this sense of superiority you have. That Chidori…it was not a size you would aim at a comrade from the leaf village."

Sasuke growled.

"When are you finally going to grow up, Sasuke?"

"Hn…Let's go." He grabbed Hikari's wrist and jumped over the fence. Both of them looked up at the tower Naruto had hit, finding that his hit had a bigger impact in the back, a large gaping hole in the metal. Sasuke began to shake in anger, his grip on Hikari's wrist tightening. He punched the wall. "Dammit!"

Hikari winced, speaking up, her tone gentle. "Sasuke, your kind of hurting my wrist…"

He loosened his tight grip. "Sorry…"

"It's okay."

They took off to Sasuke's special brooding place, a big Oak tree not too far from Hikari's house. They sat down on one of the branches, Hikari frowning at the depressing look on Sasuke's face.

0o0o0o0o0o

I felt bad for Sasuke. So, I did the only thing I knew how to do.

I smiled. "Listen…don't beat yourself up, okay?"

"How can you smile when you almost died? If Kakashi hadn't of stopped us…"

I frowned, tugging on his pants leg so he would look at me. "But he stopped you, and I'm not dead…otherwise, it would be pretty weird if I were talking to you and you could see my dead spirit…Back to what I was saying, I'm fine. You didn't do anything to hurt me, so…"

"Stupid..."

"Huh?"

"What you did was really stupid! What if Kakashi hadn't of shown up? I would've killed you!"

I cowered back some. "I…I'm sorry, but…I didn't know what else to do! You two were going to bring the whole hospital down if you hadn't of stopped. I couldn't just sit and watch! I didn't…I didn't want you to get hurt…"

"Hn…."

I sighed, hugging him. "You are in a sour mood…Just…let it go and forget about it. Tell you what, first thing tomorrow, we'll go to the training grounds and spar! What do you say?"

"Hn."

"What does 'Hn' even mean?"

"Hn."

"Hn!"

"Hn."

**"HN!"**

"Hn…"

"Okay, I'll take that as an, 'Okay, Hikari! Sure, we'll go spar at the training grounds tomorrow!' Oh, and just to be extra nice, I'll make you some tomato soup for dinner. Just come by later and I'll make you some!"

"Whatever…"

I smiled anyway. "Well, see you later!" Not thinking, I pecked his cheek before letting myself disappear in a cloud of flower petals.

* * *

As soon as she was gone, Sasuke found himself tied up with wire. He looked up to see Kakashi standing over him. Sasuke struggled to free himself, growling slightly. "What's this all about?"

"Sorry, but I knew you wouldn't want to sit still for a lecture, so I figured I had to pin you down."

"Tch!"

"Let it go. You've gotta forget about revenge, like Hikari said."

"What? She wasn't even talking about that!"

"But her words implied it. Believe me, in this work, I've met a lot of guys that feel the way you do. Trust me, for those who follow the path of revenge, it never ends well. You'll only tear yourself apart, and even if you succeed and get your revenge, what will you have then? Nothing. Emptiness."

"Shut-up! What makes you think you know anything about it? It's easy for you to talk, you have _NO_ idea!" Sasuke shouted.

"Easy, just try to calm down like you were 5 minutes ago."

"Maybe if I was to kill the most important people in your life, everyone who's ever meant anything, maybe then I'd listen to you because maybe then you'd have some idea how I feel."

"Hm…That's an interesting theory, but I'm afraid you're a little late to put it to the test. Everyone you're talking about has already been killed." Kakashi said with a smile, while Sasuke's face turned into one of shock. "I've been around longer than you have, kid. And I've seen my share of troubles. You're not the only one who knows what it's like to lose somebody. Take Hikari, for example; She's lost almost all of the important people to her, just like you. She only has Asuma and Konohamaru, now."

Sasuke looked down, frowning somewhat sadly. _'Hikari…'_

"So, it looks like neither of us has led a charmed life exactly, have we? Still…We're not all that bad off. At least you and I have been luck enough to find new comrades to help fill the void."

Sasuke instantly thought of Naruto and Sakura, before his mind drifted to a smiling Hikari.

"Anyway, I do know how you feel." He released Sasuke, "With the Chidori, you've been granted a gift of awesome power. It's not a power to be used against your comrades or to seek vengeance. I think in your heart of hearts, you know what it's for. Okay, end of lecture. You decide whether what I'm saying hit's the mark or not. Also…You might want to make your move and tell Hikari how you feel." Sasuke stared up at him surprise. "Someone might just take her away from you before you get the chance to tell her anything. I know at least a handful of boys who would love to admit their feeling for her and whisk her away."

With that said, he was gone.

Sasuke sat there until the moon was up, a frown on his face as he thought about his comrades and Hikari and his brother. "What do I do? What do I do?"

At the Sarutobi residence, Hikari was busy cleaning up the kitchen and putting the tomato soup in the fridge. _'Maybe he wasn't hungry…oh well. His loss.'_

After making sure Konohamaru was sound asleep, she sat down in the living room and turned on the TV, flipping through random channels until she found something she liked. Still, that didn't mean it wasn't boring to her, because it was. She glanced over at the coffee table during a commercial break, smiling slightly when she saw the picture of Team 7. Kakashi had both of his hands on Naruto and Sasuke's heads, while the two were glaring at each other, Sakura was standing next to Naruto, bent over slightly and smiling while Hikari was next Sasuke, smiling happily while doing the victory sign. A breeze blew into the room, since the window was wide open. Hikari stiffened, getting up from the couch and moving over to the window. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind.

'_Someone is leaving…' _

Instantly, she was out the door, the team picture laying on the couch, abandoned. She didn't need to take a second guess to realize who the wind was talking about.

'_Sasuke…'_

**

* * *

**

**A/N: AH! NOOOOOO! I don't want Sasuke to go, but I wanna stick to the story plot, so he's gonna go anyway. Next chapter~Sasuke Leaves! Leave a review! LATER!**


	35. You make me feel light

**A/N: I also wrote this chapter way back when I first started this story, and I've gone back and finished and edited it! Yeah…So, we have intensity between our Sasuke and Hikari in this chapter. Enjoy, and I also apologize if Sasuke is OOC in this, because I tried to make it where he wasn't, but I don't know if I did well or not. Enjoy anyway! Also, you should listen to the Piano version of Sadness and Sorrow while reading this chapter. It really adds to the setting of the mood, I guess.**

* * *

As soon as Sasuke had thanked Sakura, he knocked her out and set her down on a bench nearby. When he turned back around, his eyes almost widened when he saw the familiar brunette standing several feet away from him.

He just stared at her as she stood before him, her head hanging down, her eyes closed. Sasuke watched as the wind blew several wisps of her brown hair around. Finally, she brought her head back up and opened her eyes, revealing her caramel orbs. She stared at him for a moment before glancing over at Sakura's unconscious form as it laid on the bench. She turned her gaze back to Sasuke. "Why?"

"I need to get stronger. And the only way to do that is by leaving." He explained, walking past her.

"And betraying the village is the only thing that you think will help you get stronger?" He stopped walking and listened to her. "How do you think you got to where you are today? Because of your friends. They are your strength."

"They're all weak losers..."

"So…does that make me a weak loser, too?"

"…You're different from them…That's why I let you call me 'friend'."

Kari smiled sadly. "Do you really want to throw everything away and leave it behind? Do you want to throw away your home, your people, and your friends away?"

He turned around to stare at her. "Getting rid of the ties that hold me here will help me reach my goal."

"I see…nothing matters anymore to you except being able to kill your brother. And you believe that Orochimaru can give you the power to do it." Kari frowned at him. "You know…you were the very first person that I considered my best friend like Minorin."

"Naruto and Sakura are your friends."

She smiled slightly. "I know, but…I don't tell them everything like I tell you. When I was little, after my parents died…I distanced myself from everyone, except my brother and my grandpa. Part of my happiness died when my parents did. It took a long time for that happiness to come back. And…it's crumbled away so many times, that it breaks a lot easier now. There wasn't anyone who could relate to the same pain that I had, but…it changed when we were put on the same team. Even though we're complete opposites, we still have an unbearable sadness inside of us. My sadness though, has begun to disappear, because of you. If you leave…it'll just grow back again. Orochimaru took my grandpa away from me, and for that, he will pay. That is something that I have vowed to do. If you leave and associate yourself with him…then I'd have to kill you, too."

Sasuke stiffened as she said that, listening to her continue. "If you leave, Sasuke…and you don't achieve that one goal that you have…What all would it have been for? What will you have then? You won't be able to come back here…No one would trust you enough to let you back in, and they'd probably kill you. What else is darkness, but hate and rage? You can tell yourself over and over again that you can get back onto the right path, but you won't ever be able to. You'll go astray again, Sasuke. How would that…How would that honor you clan's memory?"

"You talk too much, Hikari…"

She laughed slightly. "I suppose, you're right about that…but I'm just saying what I know."

"I will kill Itachi. And I will get stronger."

She sighed. "Sasuke…I know that you're not just doing this because you want to kill your brother. It's because you feel that Naruto has gotten better than you, and stronger."

"Shut-up…"

She gently touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but…that's the real reason, isn't it? You don't like feeling lower than Naruto, and I know that's the truth. You don't have to say anything, but…" She stopped, sighing when she couldn't think of what to say. "Y'know what, forget I ever said anything about that." The wind blew around them, leaves flying past them. Kari's hand remained on Sasuke's shoulder, just staying there. He made no move to push her away, so she just left it. When he felt her grip on him tighten, he shot a glance at her over his shoulder, his onyx orbs softening slightly when he saw several tears falling down her cheeks as she still wore a smile. "The wind is talking."

He turned around to fully face her. "What's it saying?"

"That this is the last chance that I'll ever have to talk with you like this, and say things that need to be said." She looked down at the ground. "I know that I can be quite bothersome to you sometimes, but you never push me away like you do others. I know that you consider me as the closest thing you have to a friend. I…I've always denied the fact about my feelings for you. I've always told myself that you're nothing more than a friend, but…if I were to ever tell someone else that, I would be lying. I like you, Sasuke. A lot. I've just never had guts to show it or say anything about it…until now."

He stared at her with a surprised look on his face, silence the only thing that came from him. "…"

"I know that you probably don't feel the same way about me, and that's fine. So, when I ask you to please just stay, I'm asking you as a friend, and a friend only. Don't mess up your life because of this. Orochimaru is dangerous. Lady Hokage will send people after you to bring you back. You'll be considered a traitor to the village. And people will never look at you the same way again. So, I'm begging you, please! Please don't do this!" _'Don't leave me behind….' _

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way." He growled, being blunt.

Hikari shook her head. "What are you going to do, huh? Hit me? Knock me out like you did to poor Sakura over there?" Hikari dared, gesturing over to the unconscious Sakura. Sasuke flinched at her tone.

"I…"

"YOU WHAT?"

"I'm doing this because I want to be stronger for you!"

Hikari's eyes widened. "But…why?"

"Because…when you got knocked out by that rain ninja, I felt like it was my fault. I felt like I wasn't strong enough to get you in time! I felt like I didn't protect you properly." She frowned as he continued, staring down at her feet. "Ever since that day when those sand ninja showed up, when you told me that we were friends…I hadn't really thought much about my brother or my past." She felt him hug her and she looked up at him.

Hikari felt her cheeks heat up slightly when she realized they were nose to nose.

"Your kindness towards me makes me forget about the sorrow that I have. You make me feel…light." And with that, he closed the gap between them. She responded to the short kiss, reveling at how nice it felt. Sasuke pulled away, a small, very tiny smile on his lips while a beet red Hikari stared down at her feet. "You love me, don't you?"

Hikari stared up, her eyes giving him the answer he sought. Yes, Hikari couldn't deny that she loved Sasuke, but at the same time, she hated him. Hated him for what he was going to do.

She pushed him away, gently. Her hair shadowed her eyes, but the tone of her voice told Sasuke what she was feeling. "Even though I may have feelings for you…It doesn't change anything. You'll be a traitor. Lady Tsunade will send people after you, maybe me. I will obey orders that she gives me, even if it means I have to bring you back by force, then I will. If I can't…Well, from that day forwards, we'll be enemies."

"Hikari…"

"Just…Just go. Before someone else shows up and tries to stop you."

He couldn't believe that she was letting him go. His eyes widened at her words. When she realized he was just standing there, she shoved him. **"JUST GO, DUCK-BUTT!"**

He moved away from her, catching her eyes one last time. Her caramel orbs were full of tears. The streams of them falling down her cheeks made his heart hurt. He wanted to stop and hug her, telling her that it would be okay.

'_Only someone who truly loves her can do that.' _A voice in Sasuke's head said.

And Sasuke loved his revenge more. He loved power and gaining it more than her.

And then, he was gone.

Hikari's emotional walls fell down again, completely. She didn't fall to the ground and weep. Instead, she decided to endure it. Even though she let him go, that didn't mean she would let him go to Orochimaru so easily. She walked over to Sakura, taking off the sweater she had put on before leaving her house, placing it over the unconscious girl before heading home.

First thing she would do when the sun got up would be to go to Lady Hokage and report what had happened.**

* * *

**

**A/N: Should I have Hikari join Naruto and Co. for the retrieval mission or not? I'm not really sure if I should, but you guys tell me! I'll be awaiting your answers! LATER TATERS!**


	36. Formation! The Sasuke Retrieval Squad

**A/N: *Sigh* Okay, I'm hoping that I can right this out correctly. Hikari will be going with the retrieval team! YAY! Okay, so…Yeah, I'm sure some of you are wondering what Hikari actually looks like, so I've drawn several pics of her that are actually not very good, but at least you can tell what she looks like! Here's the link for them on my DA page! **

**prettystar78. deviantart .com/gallery/29045950**

**Don't space, okay?**

**Yeah…So, as for when we get to the Shippuden part of the story, I will just combine it with this story, seeing as how I'm too lazy to start a new one :P! Well, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

Hikari sighed as they stood at the front gates that led out of the Leaf Village, Naruto's enthusiasm being a bit too much for her to handle. It was giving her a headache. She had been recruited onto the Sasuke Retrieval Squad, or SRS for short. Naruto had come beating on her door earlier that morning, explaining everything in detail to her while Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji listened to every detail for the 4th time. Hikari wanted to slam the door in the blondes face, telling him that she already knew about the incident, since it was her fault that he went. She'd let him go.

Tsunade said it wasn't her fault. When she'd gone to tell her this morning, Izumo and Kotetsu had already informed her, seeing as they had heard it from Sakura. Hikari told her how she had talked to Sasuke before he left, and that she had let him go.

"_He wasn't going to listen to me, even though I warned him of what would happen."_

"_I see. Please don't beat yourself up about it. You did what you could."_

But she hadn't done enough. Tsunade told her about sending a retrieval squad to go after him and Hikari had insisted that she be allowed to go. Even though she was suffering from the emotional impact that Sasuke's words and actions had on her, she remembered telling herself that she wouldn't let him go to that snake creep Orochimaru so easily. She'd told Sasuke before he'd left that if she were given orders to bring him back, that she would follow them, even if it meant bringing him back by force.

And she'd meant every word of it.

Only, she hadn't really expected to be teamed with Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Choji, and the Knuckleheaded Naruto. She'd been expecting…more higher rank ninja, though Shikamaru was one she could understand, since he had made Chunin.

"Hikari, are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

She snapped out of her thoughts to see Shikamaru staring at her in frustration while the others stared at her blankly. She looked down at her feet, mumbling a quick apology. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Like I was saying, if any of you don't follow my exact orders…we're all gonna die."

Kiba gasped quietly from his spot next Hikari, everyone's attention now on Shikamaru.

"Okay, we'll go with a single file strike formation, but there's a catch to it. As we all know, the most important position is the spearhead, so that's going to be Kiba. You're up front."

Hikari ignored the details, only listening to who would be in line. Kiba would be first, Shikamaru second, Naruto third in the middle, Choji 4th, Neji in the back, and then Shikamaru said her name.

"Hikari, your position is the catch in this formation. Instead of being behind Neji, I want you in the air."

She raised an eyebrow. "In the air?"

"How long can you manipulate the wind so you can fly on it?"

"About 4 or 6 hours at most."

"You're going to be our aerial watcher, since you're the first Ninja to probably ever fly. Also, if you could have some of your little forest critters scout around for traps, that would be great."

"You got it, chief!"

"Great, now that we've got that down, are there any questions?" Naruto shook his head, everyone else doing the same thing. "Since nobody has anything to add, I saved the most important thing for last. For as long as I've known him, Sasuke and I haven't exactly been close buddies, in fact I don't really like him at all." The wind began to blow, leaves flying past them. "All the same, Sasuke's a ninja belonging to the Hidden Leaf Village. He's a comrade, and I'll put my life on the line to help him. That's the way of our village. I know I usually seem like a pretty lazy guy, but not today because now I'm responsible for your lives, too."

Hikari whistled, smiling. _'This new side of Shikamaru, the non lazy side…Is very admirable.'_

"Wow," Kiba began, smirking, "I never thought I'd see Shikamaru acting like a chunin. Very impressive."

"Okay, as soon as we check our gear, we'll go. Show me your weapons." Neji said.

Everyone pulled out what they had with them. Hikari opened up several of her pouches, revealing Kunai, Shuriken, scrolls, and her two ribbons. There were also several things of medical supplies and herbs with her, along with a flute that was used for a new jutsu she had recently learned.

'_I don't care if I have to drag the idiot back. I will not fail. I will keep my word to bring you back, even if I have to use force, Sasuke.'_

"Okay, let's move out!" Shikamaru ordered as soon as everyone had finished showing their gear. Before they could step out, though, someone shouted.

"Wait!" It was Sakura. Everyone stopped and turned around, including Lee, who had been standing there to watch them leave.

"Are you all right?" Naruto asked as he saw the sad look on the pinkette's face.

"Lady Hokage told me everything. Sorry, Sakura. I can't take you on this mission." Shikamaru explained. "I know you tried, but even you couldn't convince Sasuke, could you? Now our only option is for me to find him and force him to come back to the village. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else you can do for him."

"But, that means…Did Sasuke turn his back on you, Sakura?"

Hikari smacked Naruto's arm, shaking her head when Sakura began to cry. She spoke in between sobs. "Naruto…this is a once in a lifetime request; Just bring him home. Please bring Sasuke back to me! I did everything I could, I tried, but I couldn't stop him from leaving the village. At this point, there's only one person who can stop him. Only one who can save him. Naruto…it's all up to you."

"Well, gosh, Sakura! You must really care about Sasuke, huh? I get it, I can see deep down that this must be really painful for you. I know you must be suffering."

"Naruto…thank you so much!"

The blonde gave her a thumbs up. "Don't you worry one bit! I'm gonna bring Sasuke back! I promise that on my life Sakura."

Hikari smiled, moving over to stand in front of Sakura. "Now, wipe those tears away and put on a smile, yeah?"

"All right, now let's get going!"

"Right. Let's get moving." Shikamaru ordered, all of them heading out. Hikari stopped and turned around again to look at Sakura.

"Oh, Sakura! You can keep the sweater!" She exclaimed, before running off.

Sakura's eyes widened, and she clutched the sweater in her hands to her.

* * *

Flying is a nice feeling. The wind in your face, blowing through your hair…It's peaceful and relaxing.

'_What can you see?'_

Relaxing feeling over.

I pressed a finger to my earpiece. "So far, I've got nothing but trees. I've got several animals sniffing out for Sasuke, but so far they haven't found anything yet. How long have we been gone from the village, Shikamaru?"

'_About two hours now.' _

"Okay. I'm coming back down to the ground. If they'd left just awhile before we did, I'm sure I would've spotted them from up here."

I flew back down into the trees, jumping from branch to branch with them. Akamaru began to whimper, causing me to glance over at him.

"Akamaru?"

"What's the matter with him?" Shikamaru asked.

"He smells blood. Somewhere nearby."

"Any other details we should know about?" I asked, Kiba glancing over at me.

"Here's what happened; the scent of two newcomers converged on the scent of Sasuke and four others. The two have stayed behind while Sasuke's group has moved on. So what now?"

"Just as I thought," Shikamaru began, "Sasuke's got an escort."

'_Great…this is getting worse.'_

"There's no question, we've gotta go after Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, causing me to sigh.

"Who died and made you boss? Last time I checked, Shikamaru was in charge of running the show, it's up to him to decide." Kiba stated.

"Hmph!"

"Well, Shikamaru?" Choji questioned.

"Since Akamaru smelled blood, my guess is that there was a battle between Sasuke's group and the two newcomers. If we go to the spot where they fought, we might be able to gather some useful information, course we just can't rush in. It might be a trap. So when we get closer, we'll go into full reconnaissance mode and take it slowly."

"And while we're doing that, Sasuke will have crossed beyond the borders of the Land of Fire and out of our hands." Neji reminded, causing me to nod.

"Something that we don't want to happen."

"Okay Shikamaru, so what's it gonna be?"

"…..We follow Sasuke!"

"Way to go, I knew you'd make the right choice!" Naruto exclaimed.

"One thing." Shikamaru added.

"What?"

"These guys have already been in one fight, so they'll be on their guard. Unless they're complete idiots, they'll have to know there's going to be more ninja on their trail. There's a good chance we'll hit some booby traps or even an ambush up ahead. So from this point on, we proceed with caution. I want everybody, not just Akamaru, to put your senses on full alert. If you catch a trace of anything suspicious, sound the alarm. We want to find these guys before they find us!"

"**RIGHT!" **

And so, we continued forward.

* * *

**A/N: Hm…I'm beginning to wonder whether having her go with the retrieval team was a good idea or not…eh, too late to turn back. I hope you enjoyed! LATER TATERS!**


	37. Miscalculation! A new enemy appears!

**A/N: So….Yeah…I think I'm going to enjoy writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading it! READ ON!**

* * *

"Man, this whole forest is crawling with booby traps!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Hikari mumbled sarcastically.

"Yeah, but luckily they're easy to spot. These guys are moving fast and getting sloppy." Shikamaru pointed out.

"Naruto, do me a favor and watch where you're going. I don't want you blowing us all up. There's tripwires everywhere." Kiba said, Naruto frowning at the words.

"Tell me something I don't know!" And just as he was about to step over said wire, Shikamaru shouted.

"Naruto, hold it!"

Hikari screeched slightly as she saw Naruto dangerously hanging over the wires, Shikamaru thankfully catching him in his Shadow possession jutsu. Once he was back and away from the wire, Kiba walked over to him and whacked him.

"**DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO WATCH YOUR STEP YA MORON?"**

While they studied the tripwires and the camouflaged one, Neji used his Byakugan to see where the enemy were at. As he did so, a loud screech from the sky caused Hikari and the others to stare up at the hawk flying overhead. It flew down towards them, perching itself on Hikari's extended arm.

"Well?"

'_The people that have your friend are just up ahead, not too far from here. They're all resting.' _

"Right. Thank you. Continue watching them from above." She let the hawk take flight again while Neji confirmed that the enemy were indeed up ahead. While Choji, Kiba, and Naruto all began to get pumped up about some new jutsus they'd learned, Shikamaru told them to calm down.

"Let's make a plan and nail these bastards."

0o0o0o0o

"Terrific…" Shikamaru muttered.

"What was it you were saying about nailing these bastards?" Hikari asked Shikamaru.

He glared at her. They had managed to catch the enemy, except they had fallen in a trap, thanks to the big guy with orange hair. They were trapped inside a large dome of earth, no light inside of it whatsoever.

"What is this?" Neji asked no one in particular.

"It's a barrier of some kind and we're stuck in it." Shikamaru explained, glancing around at the dome.

"Now what?" Kiba asked, Akamaru sniffing around..

Naruto began to slam his fists against the wall. "Hey, you out there! LET US OUT NOW!"

"Yeah, like that's gonna help!" Kiba said, glaring at Naruto while he returned the look back.

"It seems to be nothing more than a dirt wall." Neji said, placing a hand on it.

"It's some kind of jutsu. We should watch our step. It could be another trap within a trap."

Kiba scoffed, "A wall's a wall, and there's no wall I can't punch a hole through."

"Yeah, it's worth a try, I guess…" Shikamaru said, nodding at Kiba to go on ahead. "After all, we have to do something, despite the risk."

Kiba made a hand signs, jumping up and spinning in a small torpedo like form. "Howling Fang!"

Everyone grunted as the impact made dirt fly over towards them. Hikari coughed as the dirt began to clear, revealing Kiba and an impacted wall, except no hole.

"It didn't work…" Hikari muttered, gasping when the hole began to repair itself. Kiba turned around and stared at them.

"Hey. Did you just…"

"Yes. We saw it." Neji confirmed. Naruto growled, before yelling.

"**LET US OUT!"**

'_I've heard of this jutsu before….I read about in one of mom's scrolls. It's a special type of wall that does something, but I forget what…'_

"The wall! It's…"

"It's what? The wall is what?" Shikamaru asked hurriedly, everyone staring at Neji.

Hikari suddenly remembered what it did. "It's absorbing our chakra, isn't it, Neji?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Great. It's not enough that they bury us alive in this oversized dung heap, now they're trying to steal our chakra. Gotta give these guys credit for thoroughness, at least…" Kiba stated, smirking slightly.

"No way…**NO WAY THEY CAN DO THIS TO US! WHOEVER YOU ARE, LET US OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" **Naruto shouted, Kari sighing at the scene of an angry Naruto.

Eventually, everyone began to feel deprived of Chakra. They all had to sit down, Hikari laying down, she felt so tired. She closed her eyes, ignoring Kiba as he tried to bust through again. When he was done, Akamaru changed back into his normal puppy self, whimpering. Hikari sat back up and moved over to the puppy, giving it a gentle pat on the head.

"It's okay, Akamaru. You and Kiba tried your best."

The puppy licked her hand as if to say thanks.

'_Sasuke, when we catch up to you, I'm gonna smack you for making us go through all this damn trouble!'_

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Eventually, they managed to get out of there, thanks to Choji, who stayed behind to fight with the orange haired guy. Since then, they had ran into another of the enemy, this time it was the guy with the six arms. Hikari screamed when she realized he was like a spider, squirming around in the web. How she hated spiders and anything that reminded her of them.

When Neji had been able to free himself and the others, it was then realized that on he could stop the spider man.

"_We are on this mission to protect a fellow shinobi. To defend the bond of the Hidden Leaf Village. At the Third Hokage's funeral, when Iruka spoke…do you remember what he said?" Neji asked Naruto, who nodded softly. "Listen, Sasuke's out there right now, heading toward Orochimaru. We can't allow such evil to take someone from our village. That is not our way. What's more…Naruto, sometimes your eyes are even better than mine. Wherever he is…Sasuke is in the darkness."_

Hikari frowned as she remembered the last words that Neji had said to them, about Sasuke being in the darkness. She recalled her words to him the previous night.

"_What else is darkness, but hate and rage?"_

Darkness was nothing more than the above. That's all it ever was, and all it would ever be. Sasuke didn't belong in the darkness…

But right now, Hikari couldn't help but question whether it was true or not.

"Hey," Kiba said, nudging her shoulder, "You okay?"

She sent him a smile. "Yeah, just a bit tired, that's all…"

'_It's getting late…Are you and your friends planning to continue on?' _

Hikari smiled slightly when the voice spoke to her. It belonged to a tiger that she had befriended back in the Konoha forest, and he was now following them in order to help them out if necessary.

'_So far, that's the plan. We'll strike first thing in the morning. Tell me, Yoru…where are you?'_

'_Down on the ground, running in the bushes. I'm right behind you three.' _

Yoru was a young male tiger, who was very trusting towards humans, Hikari had found out. Well…maybe only to her, since she had befriended him when she found him caught in a trap in the woods. He hadn't exactly been quite fond of her when she tried to fix up his wounds, but when he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he let her help him. In the end, he told her that he would help her whenever she needed it and follow her on missions that seemed like they were dangerous to her life.

'_Good. Just keep following us, if you can.'_

'_Right…'_

They managed to catch up with the remaining two ninja who had Sasuke inside the crate thing. Hikari sent them a wave and a smirk when they voiced that there other two teammates were not anywhere to be seen. Naruto held a kunai in his hand. "Sorry, just us."

The one with two heads glared at them before smirking. "Who needs those two? I can handle these guys myself!"

"Get ready!" Naruto ordered, the four of them getting into stances. Naruto threw the kunai, making a shadow clone. Shikamaru and Kiba jumped towards two-heads as means to buy Naruto time so he could used the Rasengan. Kiba and Shikamaru were knocked back, and Hikari went into action, summoning several tree roots and having them catch Kiba and Shikamaru before they could be seriously injured. Hikari smirked as Kiba went into action with Akamaru, using his Howling fang jutsu and going right through the shadow clone that two-heads had thought was real. He ducked Kiba's attack, making Kiba go flying towards the red-head. Shikamaru got into action and used his shadow possession jutsu on her. The real Naruto and Hikari moved in and grabbed the crate that held Sasuke in, grabbing it and taking off, Shikamaru and Kiba following after them.

"Heh! Just as I thought; they left themselves wide open." Shikamaru said, proud of how he had been right. "Sometimes being so sure of your strength can be your weak spot."

"Well whatever, it worked!" Naruto exclaimed, Shikamaru moving up to jumped beside him.

"It's about teamwork, Naruto. The whole is greater than some of its parts. If we just work together, nothing can stop us."

_**Miscalculation; A new enemy appears!**_

'_Hikari, they're following you!'_

Hikari gasped as Yoru's voice echoed through her head, causing her clench her jaw. "Don't look now, but I don't think they're willing to give up that easily."

Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba all looked over their shoulders to find two-heads and cherry-top right behind them. Two-heads seemed to be catching up faster, though. "He's fast." Kiba commented.

Akamaru set some paper bombs around the area, the three stopping and waiting on the puppy as soon as two-heads fell for it. It was too good to be true, since two-heads leaped out of the smoke, heading to Akamaru. Kiba headed to his friends aid, Hikari screaming.

**"KIBA!"**

The tree exploded, and Hikari and the others gasped as the large cloud of smoke blocked their view of Kiba and Akamaru.

"Dammit! What's happening, where are they?" Naruto asked worriedly.

Cherry-top yelled, alerting them that she was heading right for them. **"YOU'RE MINE NOW!"**

"Kiba and Akamaru are still gone!"

"And we've got another one to deal with! There's no other way. I'll have to deal with this one. You two take the coffin and carry on with the mission."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Shika…"

"Just get going!"

Suddenly, cherry top stopped and gasped, staring over their heads. "What? What're you doing here?"

The three frowned, and Hikari gasped. _'Above us…' _

Someone landed on top of the coffin that held Sasuke inside, kicking it away from them. Shikamaru frowned. "Sorry, guys. It looks like I miscalculated."

"Kimimaro…" Cherry-top mumbled.

"You were taking too long, Tayuya. And what of our comrades? What happened to our other three men?" Kimimaro asked.

Tayuya clenched her jaw, "Why have you come back here? Your body is…by now, your body should be-"

"My body is too devastated to move on its own anymore. I used power of my mind."

"No way…now you're cheating death?"

"I understand much more now. The strength of my life force has intensified, since escaping the prison of human flesh. I've had a taste of Lord Orochimaru's magnificent dream."

"Orochimaru…" Naruto growled, clenching his hands into fists.

"This vessel is an important part of his dream. It has the flesh that Lord Orochimaru desires. But you have taken too much time retrieving it."

'_This guy…gives me the creeps….'_

"Hey, Jerk!" Naruto exclaimed, standing up and holding a fist in the air. "I've had just about this nonsense you're yakking about!"

"Naruto!"

"I'm taking Sasuke back NOW!"

"Naruto!"

"Hey, wait a second-" Shikamaru began, only to be ignored. Tayuya stopped Naruto with a strong punch, sending him flying down below. Hikari and Shikamaru moved quickly, catching him before he could seriously hurt himself. Kimimaro spoke to Tayuya for a moment before grabbing the coffin and taking off with it.

Without thinking, Hikari took off, whistling. Yoru jumped out from the bushes where he had been watching, and Hikari jumped onto his back. She ignored Shikamaru's calls after her. She could sense Naruto following after her several minutes later, but she did not have Yoru slow his pace down so Naruto could catch up to them. They ended up in an opening, and Naruto jumped out of the trees.

"Hold it right there!"

Naruto landed next to her, and she gasped quietly. His eyes were blood red, reminding her of the incident back in the Forest of Death.

"Let's see…how shall I destroy you?" Kimimaro asked, turning around to face them fully. Hikari hopped off of Yoru, mentally telling him to go back to the trees so he wouldn't get hurt. He did as she asked and left, leaving Naruto and Hikari facing Kimimaro. The wind blew across the opening, causing Hikari's hair to blow around. She closed her eyes, reopening them to reveal blue and green, two different colors in each eye. Kimimaro studied them both. "Interesting…" _'Those eyes…it seems the boy possesses an unusual chakra. As for the girl…'_

"Tell us what Orochimaru is planning to do! And why the heck is he trying to get Sasuke so bad?"

Kimimaro closed his eyes, "Lord Orochimaru has already acquired the immortality jutsu, but a vast amount of time is required to obtain every jutsu and everything he wants from this world."

"So what?" Naruto asked, "What does that have to do with Sasuke?"

"Just because he is immortal doesn't mean his body can maintain itself forever. So before his flesh decays, a strong, new body must be made into a vessel for his soul."

Hikari growled this time. "Are you saying…that he's going to take Sasuke's body?"

Kimimaro smirked, stabbing the ground with some type of spear. "That's right. Precisely."

Naruto made a hand sign, red chakra beginning to appear around his body. "No! Not Sasuke! I won't let you do it! Multi shadow clone jutsu!" At least more than 100 Naruto's appeared, circling in Kimimaro.

"Oh?"

"There's no way you're gonna take Sasuke!"

"How amusing. There sure is a lot of garbage scattered around here. But, trash is just trash after all. It simply needs to be cleaned up."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Come, then."

"**I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU!"**

All of the clones moved in, while Hikari stayed put. Naruto had made it clear that he wanted the first hit, so she allowed him to do as he wanted.

After all, she had several new moves that she wanted to test out, and in order to use them, she needed all of her chakra.

Things were about to get very interesting…

* * *

**A/N: Ick, not my best work, but it just has to do for now. Hope you enjoyed it, though it was pretty boring….**


	38. A cry on deaf ears!

**A/N: ALL RIGHT! Now we get to see some action, that might be kind of crappy, but still, it's action! Yep, so enjoy!**

* * *

Hikari watched as Kimimaro slashed through each clone. She was thinking up an attack plan of her own when Kimimaro shouted.

"Now, behold! The willow dance!"

Hikari stared in shock as he took down at least 20 of the clones at the same time. When he landed, he had several more spikes protruding from his body.

"Now you know. This is my Kekkei Genkai!" The spikes disappeared, and something that looked like a bone popped out from his shoulder. That's when she realized it really was a bone.

'_This guy…has the strangest Kekkei Genkai I've ever seen, let alone heard of.' _She took a glance at the coffin that held Sasuke inside of it, her eyes widening when she saw what looked like smoke coming out of it. _'I wonder…if maybe I can move quietly without him noticing me and just paying attention to Naruto and grab the coffin, or at least open it and get Sasuke out of it. But that stuff coming out of it…I'm not sure if it's safe to open, let alone, touch. Oh well…only one way to find out.' _

With agile and elegant movements, Hikari made her way to the coffin, stopping right next to it. She studied the smoke, getting a sense of it. "It's chakra…just like before, during the second exam….This is bad." Hikari mumbled, studying the coffin. _'Damn! I can't open it because of these seals.' _When she looked back at Naruto, there was only the real one. "NARUTO!"

The seals on the coffin broke, earning a gasp from Hikari. She flipped back just in time, the coffin exploding. When the smoke cleared, she saw Sasuke standing there, her eyes widening.

"Hey, Sasuke! What're you hanging out with these losers for?" Naruto asked, waving over at him. "Come on buddy, let's go home!"

Hikari's eyes widened at what she heard next. She just couldn't believe it, nor could her ears believe it, either.

Sasuke Uchiha laughed.

"Let's…let's go home." Naruto repeated. "Come on. Everyone's there waiting for ya. Sasuke…ya hear me?"

He raised his arms up a bit and began to laugh even more, tears coming to Hikari's eyes.

Naruto began to yell at him. **"TALK TO ME! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU HAVE YOU GONE DEAF OR SOMETHING?"**

Hikari ran over to the Uchiha and began to yell. "Sasuke, what's the matter with you? Why won't you-" She was cut off as he knocked her out of the way. Quickly, he jumped past her and took off.

'_HIKARI!' _Yoru's voice echoed through her head as she watched through teary

eyes as Sasuke continued into the forest until she couldn't see him anymore. Yoru nuzzled her. _'You okay?'_

She used Yoru as leverage to sit up. She rubbed her side. "I'm fine…"

"Hikari, let's go! Bushy-brow is gonna take care of this guy!" Naruto exclaimed, helping her up. He glanced at Yoru in surprise for a moment, but decided to ask about him later. Hikari hopped onto his back and they took off with Naruto, Hikari silently praying.

* * *

'_Lee…I better see you again… be safe.'_

"I can't believe he did that! The jerk! I'm gonna knock some sense into him when we catch up to him for what he did to you!"

I sighed sadly at Naruto's promise, clutching onto Yoru's fur tightly. "Naruto…I need to tell you something before we do anything else." He sent me a questioning look and I looked up ahead. "I talked to Sasuke before he left, too."

He gasped, his blue eyes going wide. "Wha-so, that means he turned his back on you like he did to Sakura?"

"I'm not sure whether you could call it that, exactly. I talked to him, and he listened. I tried to talk him out of it, Naruto, I swear! He…I let him go."

"What?"

"He wasn't going to listen and I was just frustrated! I wasn't thinking, and I let him leave…It's my fault that we're chasing after him."

He was really quiet, and I thought that maybe he was angry, but when I looked over at him, he was wearing a determined smile. "Listen, Kari. Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault that Sasuke has a hard head. We'll get him back together, I promise."

"Naruto…" I smiled, wiping the tears forming in my eyes, "Thank you. And I believe that you can stop him and actually bring him back."

He grinned before turning back to look ahead. We were right on Sasuke's tail now, and I shivered when I heard him laughing. It was very…strange and creepy sounding. This wasn't the same Sasuke…something wasn't right about him.

"**SASUKE!" **

'_Hikari, when we catch up to this kid, can I eat him?'_

I sighed and scolded Yoru. "If you eat him, Yoru, than this mission would've been for nothing!"

'_It was just a suggestion…'_

Sasuke jumped down from the trees and ran out into some light. Naruto and I went after him, of course. We stepped out into a rocky clearing, where there was a cave up ahead.

Naruto glanced around the area and Yoru pointed his nose to the air before directing it to the cave in front of us. _'Over there.'_

Sure enough, we saw Sasuke jump up and down into the darkness of the cave. We took off after him and stopped at the entrance, Naruto calling after him. His voice echoed off the walls off the cave, giving me a bit of a headache. "Sasuke, we know you're in here! Come on, answer me! I don't get it. What's gotten into you. Sasuke, come one! You have to come back. Everyone's worried about you!"

It was dark, no light whatsoever. I hated it. Ever since I was a child, I've always hated and despised being stuck in dark places. Actually, the truth is, I've always been afraid that the darkness would suck me and never spit me out. But…I'm older now, so I have no reason to be afraid, because I have friends that will see to it that something like that will never happen.

"Oh man, I can't see anything in here, the darkness is too thick."

Naruto began talking to himself, and then Neji. I thought he was hallucinating, until he began to run forward, Yoru and I right behind him.

"Light…at the end of the tunnel!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Sasuke!"

When we stepped out, the sound of a waterfall thundered around us, and right in front of us was Sasuke, his back to me and Naruto. That's when I realized we were standing on top of a statue, Sasuke standing on one opposite of us. The tension in the air was unbearable. That's when I realized something important.

We'd either get Sasuke to come back with us of free will or by force.

* * *

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, panting heavily.

The Uchiha stayed still for a moment before beginning to walk away again.

"Are you gonna run away again?" Naruto asked, causing Sasuke to stop moving completely. He turned around slowly, and when he faced Hikari and Naruto completely, the two gasped. His right eye was yellow, the curse mark covering that side of his face.

"So it's you…Hopeless little knucklehead."

_**A cry on deaf ears!**_

"She sent you, huh?"

Naruto instantly thought of Sakura's words before he had left on this crazy retrieval mission. _'I did everything I could. I tired, but I couldn't stop him from leaving the village. At this point, there's only one person who can stop him. Only one who could save him. Naruto…it's all up to you.' _And then he remembered Hikari's words. _'I talked to him, and he listened. I tried to talk him out of it, Naruto, I swear! He…I let him go. He wasn't going to listen and I was just frustrated! I wasn't thinking, and I let him leave…It's my fault that we're chasing after him.' _Her last words on the matter were what echoed through his head.

'_I believe that you can stop him and actually bring him back.'_

"Like I already told Sakura and you, Hikari. It's over. Just leave me alone." Hikari cowered back some and Yoru let out a small feral growl. Naruto simply glared at him angrily. Sasuke put his hands on his hips and began to chuckle. "Look at you. What's with the angry face."

Naruto thought back to when they had all first been put on the same team.

"_Iruka-sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?"_

"_Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores. To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student."_

"_Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser."_

He thought back to when he had ended up tied to the post.

"_This is no big deal, I can go without eating for days, for weeks. Believe it, this is no big deal!"_

"_Your stomach doesn't seem to agree with you on that." _

"_No problem..."_

He remembered how Hikari, Sasuke, and Sakura had all offered him their food. He clenched his hand into a fist as he remembered the training they had done in the Land of Waves.

"_You…you know how you asked Sakura for advice when she was here? So what did she tell you?"_

"_Let's go back."_

"_All right!"_

He began to clench and unclench his fist. "Why? Why are you doing this to us…Sasuke?" Finally, he snapped. **"I DON'T GET IT! WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE YOU LIKE THIS? WHY'RE YOU DOING IT?"**

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before speaking up. "Why should you care what I do? It's my concern, not yours. I have my own path to follow now. And neither you nor anyone else can steer me from it. I will tell you this much: My days of playing ninja with you kids of the Leaf Village…are done."

Hikari frowned at his words, her hands balling into fists at her sides. _'What…what was this all for? Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru and Lee…were them risking their lives really worth all of this? Just for something I couldn't prevent.'_

"All of them…" Naruto began, "They all risked their lives, and why? To save you!"

"Well, wasn't that nice of them." Sasuke stated sarcastically before turning around and beginning to walk away.

"You…You ungrateful bastard!" Hikari screamed, causing him to stop walking. "How can you treat a matter such as the so smugly? You think that having people risk their lives willingly for you is something funny? A laughing matter? You…**YOU'RE SO UNGRATEFUL TO PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THEY CARE ABOUT YOU!**"

Naruto lunged over at Sasuke and tackled him, pinning him to the ground and raising his fist as means to punch him, which he did, gladly. Hikari and Yoru jumped over to them. Sasuke had a bloody lip, and he spat some of it at Naruto. Naruto grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and Sasuke grunted. "We're comrades, huh? If I'd stayed with comrades like you, I'd never have gotten this strong. Now I'm going to where Orochimaru is."

"You idiot…" Hikari muttered, tears coming to her eyes as she thought of her Grandfather and how Orochimaru had taken him away from her.

"Are you out of your mind? Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage, and did everything he could to destroy the Leaf Village! Whatever it is that you're expecting from him, you think he's going to give it to you for free? All he wants is to use your body like a new suit of clothes! There will be nothing of you left! You'll never get out of there alive! You think I'll stand by and just let you throw away your entire life?"

Hikari stared up as a Hawk screeched above, flying over them. She was holding onto a tiny piece of hope that Sasuke would change his mind and come back home with them.

"None of that matters now…"

That tiny piece of hope shattered into a million pieces as soon as those words reached her ears.

"The only thing that matters to me is achieving my goal. If you insist on getting in my way…well, then it can't be helped." He grabbed Naruto by the collar of his jacket and pulled him down.

"Well, if you aren't gonna listen to reason, then I'll do this by force if I have to!" Sasuke smirked, chuckling slightly. "What have you got to laugh about?"

"I remember you laughing the last time we met."

Hikari frowned as she recalled to the day before, when Sasuke and Naruto had fought on the roof of the hospital.

"Remember how thrilled you were at the thought of beating me to a bloody pulp? What's wrong? Where's your smile now?"

"Shut-up, that was different! Maybe I felt that way at first, but…you were different then. I didn't mean…I never really wanted that kind of fight. Even now, I still don't."

"I couldn't give a damn what you want." Sasuke slowly lifted Naruto up into the air, the blonde struggling in his hold.

"Sasuke, stop it!" Hikari ordered. He dropped Naruto and landed a punch right in his gut, sending him flying and into the water below. Hikari's eyes widened as she watched Naruto fall into the water. **"NARUTO!" **She looked back over at Sasuke, glaring hard at him. "You…You…" when she saw he was smirking, she screamed at him. "Wipe that damn smirk off your face before I do it for you!"

She watched as the curse mark on his face receded and his right eye was now back to its normal onyx color. She felt another involuntary shiver go down her spine when he began to laugh again.

"So this is the power he was talking about. I can feel it growing, flowing through my body." _'If that's what I am capable of now, wait until I unseal this curse mark. Imagine the power!' _

"You're a fool."

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Hikari, her hair shadowing her eyes. "What'd you say?"

"I said you're a fool. You think that power is the only thing that matters in this world. But it's not. Everyone has reasons for wanting to get stronger…You have yours, I have mine, and others have theirs. Mine is to protect the things that matter most to me in life and to avenge the death of the third Hokage, my grandfather. Yours is to kill Itachi. Naruto's is to become the greatest Hokage. Everyone's reasons for getting stronger are different. Some reasons are good, some are bad."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that your reasons are bad and foolish. It's understandable that you have a big reason for wanting be stronger, but yours is the most stupid. You're willingly waking to your death bed just so you can gain more power."

"I told you, I wanted to get stronger for you too, Hikari."

"Liar." She muttered, causing his eyes to widen. "The Sasuke that I know doesn't betray his village and friends in order to get stronger for me. You're not the Sasuke I know. You're not _my_ Sasuke. You're just a monster that looks just like him and is consumed by thoughts of hate, anger, and revenge." She looked up at him and her Godaigon was activated, her green and blue orbs intense. "I told you that if I was given orders by Lady Hokage to bring you back home, then I would follow them, even if it meant I had to bring you back by force. I meant every word that I said, Sasuke. Every bit of it."

Hikari glanced down at the water to find Naruto there, sitting up and panting heavily. Sasuke smirked as he jumped up and started towards them. **"YOU'RE CRAZY, SASUKE! WAKE UP, WILL YA? BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"**

Sasuke jumped down and met Naruto in mid air, kicking him back and grabbing his pouch that had all of his weapons in it. He landed on the fingers of the statue, staring down as Naruto fell into the water again.

"I have woken up, don't you see? That guy that dreamed of a happy future full of peace and friendship…he was the one who was asleep. That's why I left the village. That's why I've gone in search of power. It's not the future I dream of anymore. Only the past…" The memory of him being carried around on his older brothers back went through his head. "That's where my dream lies."

"_How come the one who twisted his ankle is the one laughing? Or maybe you were just looking for a way to get out of walking home?" Itachi suggested, causing Sasuke to frown._

"_No way, that's not it! It's just that I can't stop thinking how I'm finally going to start at the academy tomorrow." __**'I'm gonna give it nothing but my best. I'm going to do so well that even father will be proud of me. I'll make him see he has more than one son he can count on.'**_

Hikari frowned when they began to throw weapons back and forth at each other, wondering why she wasn't doing anything.

Perhaps it seemed like it was more of Naruto's fight then hers?

Maybe…

'_Hikari, can I eat this guy yet?' _

She shot a glare at Yoru. "I thought I told you, if you eat him, then this mission will have been all for nothing if he ends up in your stomach, Yoru!"

"Like I said, the future with you guys isn't what I want anymore." Hikari gasped silently when she saw the heat building up inside his chakra. Before he could manage to do the hand signs, she was already at work. Just as the wires he had captured Naruto with had been caught on fire, Hikari put them out with water. Naruto came flying out of the water and punched Sasuke in the cheek. He did it again, and again, until his knuckles were bruised.

"That the best you can do? Thought you were stronger. Well, if that's all you got, guess I won't need it."

"What?"

"Oh, come on. Can't believe you haven't realized it yet. I'm not using my Sharingan."

"Don't mock me!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to hit him again, only to have his fist caught.

"You don't have what it takes…not the strength or the desire. If I just kept palling around with you guys…" He threw Naruto and went after him, Hikari going after them both. Sasuke kicked Naruto repeatedly. "I never would've been able to gain this much power."

"Naruto…" Hikari mumbled quietly as she knelt down to her beaten friend, staring at his weapon pouch as it landed next to them with a thud.

"So…now I know what is needed of me. Only through hatred and power. Can I hope to surpass my brother?" Sasuke asked himself.

He thought back to when his brother had given up his important mission so his father could come see him enter the academy. He thought back to that day, when classes had first started. All the whispers of people questioning whether he was a genius. Everyone knew who he was. All except for one.

_Sasuke walked out of the classroom during recess and out to the shuriken targets. He practiced for a while, and once he was exhausted, he heard someone clapping. He turned around to see a girl that he recognized from his class, her brown hair in pig-tailed braids. She had a look of…amazement in her caramel orbs. _

"_Wow, amazing! I've never seen someone hit all the targets all at once before! You're pretty good!"_

_His little cheeks heated up slightly at the compliment. "R-really?"_

_She nodded, coming closer to him. "Mmm! You're better than me, that's for sure. I usually miss two or three targets and I always have to try again to hit them all. I'm better at kunai, though."_

"_Really? Can…can I see you try with the shuriken?"_

_She smiled and nodded. "Sure."_

_She took the shuriken he had been using and held them in her fingers. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before opening them again and launching the shuriken at the targets. True to her story, only two shuriken missed the targets, causing her to stick her tongue out while scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Heh, always those last two or three…"_

_He smiled. "You're pretty good, too. What's your name?"_

_She grinned, her caramel orb lighting up. "Hikari Sarutobi, but some people call me Kari for short. Whichever one you prefer. What about you? What's your name?"_

_He silently gasped, before a smile settled onto his face. "I'm Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."_

The day he first met Hikari was the first day he had to introduce himself to anyone in his class.

Naruto grabbed his pouch and stood back up, causing Sasuke to look over at him and Hikari. "I hope that woke you up. You know I'm not messing around. We had a bit of an interruption that day. But that won't happen this time. Let me show you the true power…of the Sharingan."

The real battle was about to begin. And Hikari wasn't so sure whether she was supposed to involve herself or not.

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you guys think? Should we have Hikari fight Sasuke as well, or should I stick to the actual plot line of the anime? I'm sticking to choice two, but I want your opinions. Let me know what you think!**


	39. Simple and Clean

**A/N: Ah, so…I've decided what shall happen. Instead of making it boring and just having Hikari watch the fight, I've decided she will throw in several punches here and there, but not have her fight him the entire time. Since it mainly is Naruto and Sasuke's battle, that is why I've made my choice to have her throw in several punches. Heck, I might even have her tell Sasuke that he has to fight her first, but I'm sticking with my choice above for right now. Also, I'm not planning to write the entire fight between Naruto and Sasuke. Just the final part of it. I have this terrible feeling that this will end out being pretty crappy...Well, enjoy either way!**

* * *

"Let me show you the true power…of the Sharingan."

Naruto smirked. "Okay, I guess that means I can stop going easy on ya. Go on and fire up that Sharingan of yours, I don't want you to miss a thing when I hit you with my way of the shinobi! Shadow clone jutsu!"

10 shadow clones appeared and Sasuke smirked, running forward and beginning to destroy the clones. "What good will that do? 10 times 0 is still 0!" Sasuke grabbed the real one and punched, kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying back. He made several hand signs. _'Fire style: Fireball jutsu!' _

"Water style: Mouth of the serpent!"

Steam was created as the water stopped the fire and Sasuke frowned, glancing over at the one who had used the jutsu. Hikari stood a few feet away from him. She sent him a glare while returned the look. He smirked. "I forgot about you for a second. Do you really think that you can stop me, Hikari?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Maybe, maybe not. But I do know one thing I can do and that's protect my friends. I won't let you kill Naruto with such an easy and readable jutsu like that. Don't tell me you've forgotten already, Sasuke. I can control the five elements and manipulate them for my own personal use. Any fire attack you send at me or Naruto, I can just put it out with water. It's easy. In case you've also forgotten…" She disappeared and reappeared behind him, "Some of my moves and jutsu are ones that you can't read and copy to memory." She kicked him, sending him flying back several feet. Even though her gut told her that Naruto should only be the one to fight him, that didn't mean she would let it happen so easily, oh no. After all, Sasuke had successfully pissed her off and upset her, so what better way to vent then to take it out on the object of her anger?

Sasuke stood back up easily, glaring at her for how she had so easily insulted his fire jutsu. He had worked so hard as a child to master it, practicing for weeks on end, even in the rain, just to hear his father say three little words.

"_That's my boy."_

She came back around and socked him, hitting him again, and once in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. It…sort of hurt, but not as bad as it should've. Sasuke stood back up and ran over, grabbing her and knocking her to the ground. She wrapped her legs around his torso and flipped them over, jumping back and away from Sasuke. Her different colored eyes were intense, mixed emotions in them. She made several more hand signs.

"Wind style: Scattering flower dance!"

'_Fire style: Phoenix flower jutsu!'_

The cyclone of petals burned, and Hikari frowned. She was weak, tired, and felt a bit drained. That water jutsu earlier took a lot out of her, more than she had expected. She closed her eyes and breathed. _'I…I'm not sure what I should do. I don't want to kill him, but I don't want him thinking that I'm going to let him do something stupid so easily…I don't want him thinking that I will let him go just like that.' _

"Well? What're you just standing there for? Aren't you going to attack me, punch me again?"

She opened her eyes and sighed. She reached a hand back to her hair and tied it up into a high ponytail. Grabbing the hem of her t-shirt she was wearing, she pulled it up and off, leaving her in a purple tank top and her shorts. _'The only way I can think of trying to stop him is the Musical dance of the ninja. It drains the opponents chakra, and mine. I've done it once perfectly, and I'm sure I can do it again. I have no choice. It ends here.' _"Shadow clone jutsu!" 4 clones appeared and she performed another set of hand signs. "Instrumental summon!" The four clones grabbed the instruments and moved into different areas. Hikari pulled out her ribbons and got into a stance. "Ninja art: Musical dance of the ninja!"

As she began to move along gracefully, Sasuke dodged the ribbons each time she tried to grab him with them. Hikari's eyes widened when he grabbed one and flung her backwards, causing her to go flying into a tree. She heard a sickening crack in her arm as the wind was knocked out of her, coughing up a little bit of blood.

"Don't tell me that's it, Karasu?" Sasuke said, causing her to look up at him with dull brown orbs.

She sent him a sad smile. "I can't do anything else, duck-butt. You broke my arm, so I can't do anymore hand signs. Plus, I'm out of chakra…I failed, Sasuke. I realize that you're not going to listen at all. So, I won't bother with trying to convince you to come back. You're too far in the darkness."

_**Simple and clean!**_

"Hn!"

"But…one day, when I get stronger…I'll do my best to get you back into the light. Remember when Kakashi-sensei asked us what our dreams for the future were? I think…I know what my dreams are. My dreams are to become the first musical ninja, to master the Godaigon like my mother did, to avenge the death of my dear grandfather, and to become a strong and well known shinobi. No one can take them away from me. Not even you. Even though things are going to change, Sasuke…I will always consider you precious to me. You'll always be my best friend."

Sasuke frowned at her limp form. Yoru ran past him, sending him a growl as he laid down next to a now resting Hikari. "If you feel that awful about it, then come with me."

She smiled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sorry, Sasuke. But I don't think life's quite that simple." She paused, staring up at the sky. "Sasuke, do you…do you love me?"

He was silent for a moment, before answering, saying what she dreaded most.

"_**No."**_

"I see…Well…From this day on, Sasuke Uchiha…we're enemies."

'_If I can't save you from the dark, then only one person can. Naruto…I believe in you and your nindo…'_

* * *

_7 year old Hikari trudged through the rain, walking past the tempting looking puddles that just asked for her to jump around in them and laugh. But she wasn't here to do that. She was here to find the shuriken boy from school, Sasuke Uchiha. She had heard her mother and father discussing the tragic accident of that Uchiha clan Massacre, both of them mentioning that only Sasuke was alive. _

_She found said boy standing in the middle of the street as the rain poured. She approached him quietly, stopping several feet behind him. "Sasuke?" _

_He didn't turn around to acknowledge her, so she walked forward and hugged him from behind. "…"_

"_If you stand in the rain, you'll get sick."_

"…"

"_Listen, I know that you probably don't want me to be here right now, but I just came to tell you that my mother said that if you wanted to, you could come stay at our house for awhile. If you wanted to, though."_

"_Just leave me alone…"_

_She sighed. "Okay. I guess I'll go home."_

_That was the last time that she ever talked to him, until they were put onto the same team. _

* * *

Hikari frowned as she watched from her place against the tree as Sasuke's curse mark began to appear on his face. She felt bad about not being able to help Naruto, but this was between him and Sasuke. This was their fight now.

'_If I had been just a little stronger before he had left…I would've stopped him. But…I couldn't…it's my fault.'_

"Naruto, you have to stop him! **YOU HAVE TO! NARUTOOOOOOO!"**

Naruto was consumed by the chakra of the Nine-tailed fox. Hikari gasped at the sight. "Sasuke, I'm not letting Orochimaru take you away! Do you understand me?** I'LL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO STOP YOU! YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!**" Her eyes widened as she watched Naruto charge at Sasuke with incredible speed, kicking and punching him repeatedly before sending him underwater.

'_N-Naruto, when did you become so strong?' _She watched as Sasuke fought back, getting hit mostly. Naruto grabbed him and threw him into the side of the cliff. Next thing she knew, they were standing on top of two logs, facing each other from different sides.

'_Hikari, what're you going to do?' _Yoru asked her as he nuzzled her side.

"I…nothing, Yoru. I'm not strong enough to do anything. One day, when I do get stronger, though…I will fight Sasuke myself. And I will win."

"Why, Naruto? Why would you go so far for me?" Sasuke asked.

"Because, this is the first time I've ever had a bond like this. That's why I'll do anything I can to stop you."

Hikari felt the exhaustion taking over. She closed her eyes, and she thought it had only been for a moment, until she reopened them. Naruto looked like a mini nine-tailed fox with the chakra and Sasuke was…some type of monster.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

"My god…." Hikari muttered as she watched the two jump into the air and lunge towards each other with their attacks.

"**CHIDORI!"**

"**RASENGAN!"**

Red and blue clashed, making a bright light. Hikari covered her eyes, listening as the thunder boomed across the area. She finally felt the exhaustion completely take over as the rain soaked her. She wasn't even aware that she began singing.

* * *

It was over….finally over. Sasuke picked up his now scratched headband and moved over to Hikari, placing it in her hands. He brushed some hair out of her face, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Hikari…I'm sorry…"

As he moved away from her, he could hear her soft voice singing.

"_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean _

_Is the way that you're making me feel_

_Tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me_

_What ever lies beyond _

_This morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless the warning_

_The future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before…'_

Even though he wouldn't admit it, he did love her. He loved her a lot. And that was why he couldn't say it to her face. It would make him weak.

Because Sasuke could only admit that he loved two things, and that was power and his revenge.

Things really weren't so simple and clean, but Sasuke made a silent promise. One day, he'd find Hikari and take her away with him.

* * *

Kakashi frowned as he stared down at Naruto. Pakkun sat down next to the unconscious boy sadly. "How did it come to this?" Pakkun sniffed the air, glancing over at the tree nearby. "Kakashi, over there!"

Kakashi watched as Pakkun ran over to his other student and…a tiger? Yoru growled at Pakkun for a moment, until he saw the leaf headband. Pakkun sniffed the headband in Hikari's hand, staring at it sadly before glancing back at Kakashi, who had picked up Naruto in his arms. Yoru managed to get Hikari's unconscious form onto his back, moving over to Kakashi. Together, they all left the waterfall with the two statues, heading back home to the Hidden Leaf.

* * *

**A/N: This…didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to. I might go back and rewrite this in the future, but for now, I'm just going to progress on with the story and worry about rewrites later. I hope you guys enjoyed this anyway :D! **


	40. Goodbye for now, Konoha!

**A/N: 100 reviews? Holy cow, you guys rock! COOKIES FOR YOU ALL! Ah, yeah last chapter was pretty sad. *sniff* WHY SASUKE? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE?**

* * *

"Out of everyone else on the team aside from Shikamaru, your injuries aren't bad. You just have a broken arm and a couple of bruises and scrapes, but you heal quickly. You can probably even go home as early as tomorrow!" Tsunade said happily as she looked away from the clipboard in her hand and smiled, only to have it fade away when she saw that Hikari wasn't really listening. She was staring down at the scratched headband in her hand, tracing the leaf symbol of with her finger. Tsunade sighed. "Hikari, you haven't said anything since you got here."

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry that I couldn't bring him back."

"Not this again…What is it that's gotten you so down about it? I told you that it isn't your fault-"

"He kissed me the night he left."

"He-He what?"

Hikari smiled sadly. "I was weak. I let my emotions get the best of me, and that's I couldn't stop him. I asked him if he loved me before he fought with Naruto." She was silent for a minute before continuing. "He said no. And I told him that from this day on, we're enemies. I…I've lost so many things. I've lost two of my most precious people to Orochimaru, and I don't want to lose anyone else to him. That is why I have vowed to avenge the Third Hokage, my grandfather's death. I will do everything I can to become a strong shinobi. But unlike Sasuke, I'm going to get stronger the right. I will work hard, as hard as I can to reach my goals I have set myself. And with my friends by my side, I know I can do it."

_Before Kaori closed her eyes for eternal sleep, she whispered something under her breath. "You'll be….my living legacy."_

"I'm my mothers living legacy, and I will do everything I can to master the Kietsu Clan's Kekkei Genkai, even though I don't have anyone to help me with it. I will do what I can. I. And I will live up to it." She smiled at Tsunade, who smiled in return.

'_Even though she's suffered from so much grief and loss, she's still strong. Her will to achieve things is amazing…just like Kaori. She's the spitting image of her. Even her jutsu's are like Kaori's…this girl really is her daughter.' _"Hikari, I have something I'd like to ask you."

"Yes?"

"How would you like to become a member of Black Opps?"

Hikari gasped quietly, staring at Tsunade with surprised caramel orbs. "An ANBU member? But I'm still Genin, and-"

"That doesn't mean a thing though. I'm the Hokage, and if I recommend you, there's no doubt that you'd be excepted. You have incredible skills and you learn extremely fast. There is an entrance exam, but from what I read in your file, you were one of the students that graduated at the top of your class. So, what do you say? Would you like to become an ANBU member?"

Hikari frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I don't see why not, but…I'm not quite fond of the foundation. That Danzo guy…he gives me the creeps."

"Don't worry about the foundation. You won't have to be part of that. As soon as you take the exam, I will determine where you'll be placed. You can work your way up in the ANBU ranks from there."

"I'd still like to do regular missions besides ANBU missions."

Tsunade smiled, "Don't worry, you will!"

A knock on the door caused the two to turn to it and watch it open up. A blonde haired man that was probably in his late twenties or early thirties walked in. His green eyes seemed to brighten up as he smiled. "Excuse me, but is Hikari Sarutobi here?"

"Right here." Hikari raised her hand and waved, causing the blonde man to grin. "Um, who are you exactly?"

"My name is Hiroshi Kietsu. My older sister was Kaori Kietsu. I'm here because I have come to train and teach her daughter the powers of our clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Godaigon."

'_H-Hiroshi Kietsu? I didn't know mom had a brother! Heck, I didn't even know mom had a maiden name!'_

"Hold on just a second! You're part of the Kietsu clan? Where have you people been for the last 10 years?"

Hiroshi's face grew serious. "In hiding."

"Hiding? What do you mean?"

"After the last Great Shinobi war, our clan's number decreased drastically. It kept decreasing after the war, though. The more people that learned about our clan's special powers and Kekkei Genkai, the more they wanted it for themselves. We've been hiding in the Tamakoya Mountains for these past few years. There's only a very few amount of Kietsu clan members that can use the Godaigon, though. 8 to be exact. Hikari makes 9."

"It's that bad?"

"Mm. When we first learned of the attack that Orochimaru lead on the Leaf Village, we began to talk. We know how he wishes to possess every jutsu known to man, so we feared that perhaps Hikari had awakened the Kekkei Genkai of our clan. We learned of the Thirds death instead. I have been sent here to take Hikari with me to the Tamakoya mountains so she can learn the full extent of her special power and master it like her mother did."

Tsunade glanced over at Hikari. "Well, what do you want to do?"

Hikari stared at her lap in thought, "Hiroshi, was it? Why…must I leave the Leaf Village?"

"If Orochimaru only knows of one person that can use the Godaigon, then there's no reason to risk your life. It would be dangerous for both our clan and the village."

"How long would this training take?"

"A year or two at most."

'_Two years? That's…a long time. But I have to get stronger so I can achieve my goals.' _"I see…Lady Tsunade, I'm afraid that joining the Black Opps is going to have to wait for a while."

Tsunade smiled, "That entrance exam will be waiting for you when you get back."

"When do we have to leave?"

"Well, seeing as how you're still in the hospital, I'd say a couple of days. How about that arm?"

"I can repair it quickly, but she'll need time to rest."

"Right. I'll be around town, so when you get out, come find me."

He left after that.

* * *

**A week later…**

"Leaving…the village? But why?"

Hikari rubbed her head as Naruto yelled in her ear, pushing him away from her. "There are more people just like me, Naruto. They can help me master my Kekkei Genkai. If I want to achieve my goals that I have for the future, then I need to know everything about my powers and I have to master them to their full extent. I thought Sakura had mentioned something about me going today, but I guess she forgot…" Hikari said, sending him an apologetic smile.

Naruto felt tears well up in his eyes. He blinked, wiping them away with his arm quickly. When he looked back at her, Yoru was standing next to her, her bag in his mouth. Without really thinking, Naruto wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "M-man…I'm really gonna miss you, Kari!"

She returned the hug happily. "I'll miss you too, Naruto."

"Pervy-sage is gonna train me for awhile, and I have to leave the village in a couple of months. But when you get back, I might have already brought Sasuke back, too!"

She smiled. "You'll become a fine shinobi, Naruto Uzumaki. Always believe in yourself, and you can do anything."

She turned on her heel quickly, wiping her eyes. She'd already cried enough today as she said goodbye to Konohamaru, Genma, and Asuma, and all of her other friends. She'd promised to write them all, and Konohamaru. After all, she was leaving the home of her birth, the place she had grown up. Why wouldn't she cry? "Naruto, I want you to promise me something."

"Huh? What, what?"

"Don't ever change, okay?"

He smiled and she grinned back at him.

**"HEY, YOU COMING OR WHAT?"** Hiroshi called from the village gates, Hikari sighing.

"Be right there! Well, Naruto. See you soon, I guess. Come on , Yoru!"

"Bye!"

She waved back, making her way towards the village exit. She stopped and stared up at the Hokage faces and smiled before continuing on. _'I'll become stronger. Just you wait, grandpa. I'll become a fine shinobi, just like my mother and father.'_

* * *

**A/N: YES! Now we can get onto Shippuden! So excited! Ahaha, next chapter will totally be awesome! So, like one of my reviewers asked me, how will I pull this off since she's not going with Sasuke? Ah, well…She will join Sasuke…maybe…I'm not sure how that will work out yet, but she'll see Sasuke again…and what will he do when he see's here? What will her reasons be for joining him? WHAT WILL HAPPEN! KEEP READING THIS STORY TO FIND OUT! LATER TATERS!**


	41. Shippuden Begins! Heroes comeback!

**A/N: And so, we reach the Shippuden plotline…Hm. I'm probably going to change the rating to M, due to future, possible, "romance" (Hint, hint). So…how does this work out with Hikari, you ask? Well, some reviewers opted she be a spy, others said she should end up being taken to Orochimaru's lair unwillingly…That's why I will present you people with deciding what should happen. Originally, I had planned that Hikari would just leave the village on her own to go and see the world while training herself to become stronger instead of introducing Hiroshi into the story, but…well, that's still my plan, except I had it set where the Akatsuki would be interested in her and send Deidara and Tobi to capture her. Then she would run into Sasuke and Suigetsu eventually when she retreated to the Land of Waves... Eh, I don't know. You guys tell me what you think should happen! And now, to the story!**

* * *

A blur of black and orange hurried along through the forests, moving swiftly through the trees. Only a short ways away now. They were almost there.

'_You seem excited about coming back.'_

"Of course I am. This is our home and we've been away from it for so long. I mean, we haven't been home in two years. I heard that we weren't the only ones returning, though."

'_Oh?'_

"A certain knuckleheaded ninja is also returning home."

_**Heroes Come back!**_

'_You mean that loud mouth blonde? Can I eat him when we see him?'_

"Why must you always ask me if you can eat my friends?"

'_I'm just kidding! We're here.'_

Two familiar gates were up ahead, and the blur ran out of the trees and towards the gates, leaping inside and landing, surprising the Gate keepers for the day. Yoru let out a loud, joyful roar and Hikari smiled, waving to Kotetsu and Izumo.

"I'm home! The Honorable Granddaughter of the Third Hokage has returned to The Hidden Leaf Village!"

* * *

"Well, you've changed. Yoru seems like he's actually grown."

I smiled at Lady Hokage's observation while Yoru made what looked like a smirk. "Yeah, he has. As for me, I wouldn't really say I've changed at all. But then again, that's just my opinion…" I said, patting Yoru's head.

Lady Tsunade smiled, "Well, since you're back, you can take the ANBU entrance exam. How about it?"

I grinned. "Well, I hate to say it, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to think about it some more."

"That's perfectly fine. Just let me know."

"Right. So…is it true that my little brother really made Genin?"

She smiled, nodding. "You just missed him and his team. I'm sure they're wandering around the town somewhere, so you might be able to find him and let him know that you're back."

"I think I might just do that. Also…I heard that certain boy who's looking to be the next Hokage was returning soon. Is that true?"

"He might just be in town already…Never hurts to go look, does it?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Nope. I'll see you later, Lady Hokage."

"Oh, Hikari!" I stopped and turned around, sending her a questioning look before she grinned happily. "Welcome home!"

I nodded and walked out, Yoru next to me. We walked into town together, people not afraid of him since they had grown used to him following me around most of the time now. If he wouldn't hurt me, than he wouldn't hurt them. I sighed, breathing in the air of the village. It felt…good to be home. I looked up and smiled at the Hokage faces, surprised when I saw that Lady Tsunade's face had been added up there with them. As Yoru and I walked into town, set on finding my kid brother, we were stopped when we heard a familiar voice shouting.

"I'm home, everyone! Naruto Uzumaki has returned has returned to the Hidden Leaf village!"

I noticed Jiraiya standing below the pole that Naruto had climbed up on to announce his return to the entire village. I cupped my hands around my mouth and looked up.

"Well, if it isn't the famous little knuckleheaded ninja!"

Naruto glanced down at me, apparently shocked by my sudden appearance. I grinned and waved up at him and he grinned. "Kari!"

"Naruto? Naruto! Hikari!"

"**SIIIIIIISSSSS!" **I was suddenly tackled to the ground in a hug. I looked down to find a familiar toothy grin smiling at me. "You're home!"

I smiled, pulling both me and Konohamaru up off the ground and back to our feet. I ruffled his hair and took a good look at him. "I see you traded the goggles for a Leaf Headband. But still wearing that ridiculously long scarf, aren't you?"

"Heh, you know it!"

"When did you two get back to the village?" Sakura asked, coming over to me and hugging me happily.

I hugged her back. "Oh, Yoru and I just got back about 20 minutes ago. What about you, Naruto?" I called up, looking up at him.

"Oh! Just now." He jumped down from the pole he had been standing on and ran over to us. "Long time, no see, huh guys?" He began to laugh a little and I smiled. That's when I realized something really big, Sakura noticing the same thing.

"Hey, wait a minute. You've gotten taller than us, haven't you?"

"Huh?" He compared our heights to his. "Yeah, I guess I have."

"So, um…what do you think? Do I seem like more like a woman to you now?" Sakura asked him, sounding shy somewhat.

"You kidding? Not really. You haven't changed at all!" Naruto exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. "Neither of you have!"

I stuck my tongue at him while Sakura turned away from him. _'Same little knucklehead…'_

* * *

"Hey, Naruto!" Konohamaru said, gaining the blondes attention. A puff of smoke appeared and disappeared to reveal a very naked female Konohamaru. "Sexy jutsu…"

"**AHHHHH!" **Hikari screamed, moving forward and grabbing Konohamaru, who had returned to his original self, by the collar of his shirt, shaking him in anger. **"YOU LITTLE PEST, WHERE THE HELL DID YOU LEARN SUCH A PERVETED JUTSU FROM?"**

"AH! S-sis, stop shaking me!"

Naruto smiled slightly, "Konohamaru, I'm not that scrawny little kid anymore. And you shouldn't be using jutsu like that either. It's beneath you."

Hikari stopped shaking Konohamaru to stare at Naruto and nod her head in agreement. _'Mm! You tell him, Naruto! At least you've grown up!'_

"**I MEAN, COME ON KONOHAMARU! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT? NOW STEP ASIDE AND GET A LOAD OF MY BRAND SPANKING NEW PERVY-NINJUTSU!"**

'_See? He's grown up so much, that he's got a new pervy-ninjutsu!'_

Sakura, who had been thinking about how Naruto had learned a bunch of new Ninjutsu smiled. _'Right. Like a new pervy-ninjutsu."_

"**HERE WE GOOOO!"**

Sakura raised her fist and punched him smack dab in the face, sending him flying back several feet. Hikari moved forward and grabbed him from the ground and began to shake him like she had been doing to Konohamaru earlier. Sakura was right beside her, just as angry.

"**YOU LITTLE IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU TAINT MY POOR LITTLE BROTHERS MIND WITH SUCH A PERVETED THING LIKE THAT?" **

Sakura grabbed him from her and took over. **"YOU PERVY LITTLE DOOFUS! WE BOTH DON'T SEE YOU FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND YOU GOT THE NERVE TO PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THAT MAKES US FEEL? DO YOU?"**

Jiraiya watched in horror, _'That hot quick temper and monster strength! You've raised a Tsunade junior…And as for Hikari…It's like watching another Kaori lose her temper when Takashi would do something stupid…' _

* * *

**A/N: *Cowers at the glares* Nani? Why are you all looking at me like that?**

**Naruto: That's it? That's the whole first chapter of Part 2 for this story? **

**Uh, yeah…you got a problem?**

**Naruto, Sakura, Hikari: WHAT ABOUT KAKASHI SENSEI GOING UP AGAINST US?**

**Oh, that? Well…I'm not sure if I wanna write all of that out. I'm going to see what the readers think? So, readers…should I write that out or skip ahead and mention it? To be honest, I'm not quite sure if Hikari should go with them on the Kazekage rescue mission, so let me know what you think? Hope you enjoyed this short, but okay chapter! LATER TATERS!**


	42. Childish dreams and pointless hopes

**A/N: Ah, so…how will I go about Shippuden? If you guys get mad at how I decide this, I'm sorry…but I just really don't know whether to go with one choice or another. So, Hikari isn't going on the Kazekage rescue mission because it takes too much time for me to write it all out. Instead, I've decided that I will narrow this down to one of two choices: My original plan where it involved her encountering Sasuke and Suigetsu after fleeing from Deidara and Tobi to the land of waves, having Orochimaru capture her or having him send someone to do it for him, or…continue the story on till we get to the part where we encounter Sasuke for the first time in 2 years? So many good choices, yet so little time. Personally, I'd like to go with my original plan. The way I planned it was shortly after Asuma's death, Hikari leaves the village on leave of absence. What do you guys think? Help me decide! This chapter is a filler, so…bear with me, will you? Several have already voted that she be taken by force! Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!**

* * *

Hikari sighed as she stared out window, watching as clouds rolled across the beautiful blue sky. Shortly after the reunion with her two teammates and sensei, the Kazekage of the Sand village had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, and Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had been called out to go and help out. Hikari had been given another mission, one that was relatively simple. She had to hunt down a drug lord dealer and bring him into custody, which was child's play to her. She had been thinking a lot to herself lately, about where she wanted to go in life. She stared over at her collection of instruments in the room, frowning. She recalled something she had told her mother as a child.

"_I wanna be the first ninja to ever travel the world performing music!"_

She clenched her fists to her side. A childish dream. One that would probably never be achieved. Besides, she already had important goals: Avenge her grandfathers death by killing Orochimaru and bringing Sasuke home. But…

'_You seem like you're troubled.'_

Hikari glanced over at Yoru as he laid on the floor of the music room. He moved over and laid his head in her lap, allowing her to pet his head. "It's nothing…I've just got a lot on my mind."

'_Have you agreed to take the ANBU entrance exam?'_

She nodded. "First thing tomorrow morning. But, I'm not sure whether this is the right path that I'm taking, becoming part of the Black Opps. What if…what if do something foolish to hurt others?" She asked, playing with the headband she had hanging off of her waist, tracing the large scratch on it.

'_You, foolish enough to hurt others? HA! That's really funny, Hikari!'_

"I can't help but wonder…I'm sure everyone else does sometimes…" She stared over at her violin and smiled at the memory it brought back.

"_UNCLE!" _

_Asuma winced at the high pitched screech that came from Hikari. He turned around and stared down at her. "What do you want, squirt?"_

_The four year old smiled, running around to stand behind him before she crawled up onto his back with relative ease, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "You promised me that you would take me to the store today! You said you'd buy me some ice cream!"_

_Asuma sighed. "Now, I didn't actually mean-"_

"_You promised!" Hikari interrupted, smiling widely. "Pweeease!" _

_Sigh. "Fine…."_

"_YAY!"_

_He walked to the store, Hikari on his back the entire time, even as he purchased two ice cream cones. While he dug through his pockets for some money, Kari's attention was caught onto something on display. She slid off of Asuma's back and walked over to it, staring at it in curiosity. It was a small stringed thing with a weird looking stick thing, which was how Hikari thought of it. Because of curiosity getting to her, she carefully picked it up, along with the stick, figuring it was how you played with the stringed thing. _

_The sound of a violin caused both the owner of the store and Asuma to look over at Hikari, Asuma nearly dropping the two ice cream cones he held, his jaw dropping. He watched as Hikari moved the bow against the strings of the violin with relative ease, as if she had played the instrument her entire life. It was then that Asuma had discovered Hikari's special gift, besides her learning to play piano._

_She was able to play and understand music without even having the knowledge of it beforehand. _

_When she noticed the looks that she was getting, she stopped and grinned widely. "Uncle, what's this thingy called?"_

"_It's called a violin. It's an instrument that you play that makes music. That thing your using to play it is called a bow." _

"_A violin, huh?" She played a random tune again, and Asuma grinned, turning back to the shop owner. _

"_How much for it?"_

She went on to learn how to play the flute and harp, and eventually the guitar. It made her smile. Each of these instruments were special, but there was always one that would her absolute favorite, besides the piano. The ocarina…a beautiful instrument that she always loved to play. It was just…peaceful and calm when she played it.

'_Hey, Hikari! You're spacing out again…'_

She smiled down at the tiger as she petted his head. "Sorry, Yoru."

"Hey, sis!" Konohamaru called, poking his head inside the room. Aiko ran in past him, over to Hikari. Yoru didn't seemed bothered with the black and white cat that had grown up to be an adult. Yoru moved his head out of Hikari's lap so her cat could lay down in it.

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me out with my Shuriken training? Ebisu-sensei says I need to improve on it."

She smiled, picking up Aiko and laying her down on the window seat. "Sure. I'd be happy to."

She spent an hour training with him, helping him out and giving him pointers. Asuma smiled from his place behind the tree as he watched. _'To think that it's only been two years and she already looks so different. Kaori, she looks just like you did when you were her age. Same hairstyle and everything…It's uncanny.' _Asuma nodded in approval before taking her leave, passing Kiba on his way out.

"So, it's true! You're really back then, huh?"

Hikari turned, grinning when she saw the Inuzuka boy. She ran over to him and lunged at him wrapping her arms around him. "Kiba! Look at you! You've gotten taller!"

He smirked. "And you've gotten prettier, not that you weren't pretty enough before you left."

'_Same old Kiba…Always flirting around.' _

Perhaps…things really hadn't changed that much at all.

* * *

"Lady Tsunade, are you really sure that she can pass the entrance exam that easily?"

Tsunade took a sip of sake from her cup, glancing over at her black haired assistant. "Shizune, do you question my motives for recommending her for the exam?"

Shizune paled. "**AIIIEE!** N-no, milady! It's just…she isn't even a chunin yet. What if something bad happens to her out there?"

"Nothing will." Tsunade said, closing her eyes and taking another sip of Sake. "She's been gone for 2 ½ years, training hard every day so she could get far in life as a Shinobi. Before she left the Tamakoya mountains, Hiroshi sent me a letter. I couldn't believe it for a moment when I read it, but I realized he was telling the truth."

"What is it, Milady?"

Tsunade opened her eyes, a small smile forming on her face. "She's mastered the Godaigon completely, maybe even farther than Kaori ever did. She mastered it at an even younger age than her mother did. If there's anything I believe in, it's that she can pass these exams."

An masked ANBU member appeared before the Hokage, bowed down on one knee. Tsunade clasped her hands together and looked at him expectantly. "So, how'd it go?"

"Just like you predicted, she passed with flying colors. We've already told her that her first mission will be tomorrow. You said something about sending her to investigate a village."

"Did you explain to her about how she would have to stay there 4 months?"

He nodded. "Yes, Milady."

"Very well. Thank for informing me. You may go."

* * *

**A/N: Another shortie, and I'm barely hanging onto my sanity with what should happen. I'm down to my original idea that I had, since one reviewer highly recommended I go with it, or just have someone kidnap her. So…WHICH ONE? It would probably make more sense if she was kidnapped, that way she would find out that not only was Orochimaru responsible for the thirds death, but her mother and fathers as well, but I also like my original idea. Suggestions on how to make this work? Anyone?**


	43. Kidnapped! First ANBU mission gone awry!

**A/N: Okay, so…I'm going to do this, okay? Ahem, as you all know, I really like the idea of her being kidnapped and held against her will and I also like my original idea. So…I've decided this. Since only maybe several other people know who really killed Takashi and Kaori, the responsibility would to really tell Hikari would fall on Asuma's shoulders now. Since my original idea involved her leaving shortly after Asuma's death, she wouldn't have found out. BUT I have conjured up a plan that may or may not work out well. Hikari will be kidnapped, but she will escape somehow…suggestions may be given. I may just have her escape when Naruto and co show up that way she can see Sasuke when they do. I will also be sticking to my original plan as well. Should our favorite Uchiha know about her presence in Orochimaru's lair or not? I leave these choices up to you, my lovely reviewers! Enjoy!**

* * *

'_And where are we going again?'_

I sighed at Yoru's question, the exact same one I had explained to him 5 times already…"I've told you already, right when I got the mission, when I was packing my things, when I was brushing my teeth this morning, when I was eating breakfast, and right after I got done talking to Uncle Asuma."

'_Oh, that reminds me. What exactly did you two talk about? I wasn't really paying attention.'_

"He just told me to hurry on home in one piece as soon as the mission was done. He was just doing what he always does, and that's making sure I'll be safe." I told Yoru, who nodded when I was done explaining.

'_I see. So, where are we going again?'_

I mentally groaned, questioning myself whether asking Lady Tsunade if I could bring Yoru along with me was really a good idea. "The Hidden Village in the Grass. Apparently, people have been disappearing a lot lately, so our job is to patrol the forests and very outskirts of the village."

Yoru looked at me for a moment before he started laughing causing me to frown. _'Oh, it's nothing! It's just that you look kind of…interesting in that mask, though I have to say it does suit you, with the tiger stripes. It's just a shame that they're purple instead of black.'_

I rolled my eyes and ignored him, adjusting my mask. "We're supposed to be undercover on this mission, meaning that as soon as we reach the outskirts, I have to change back into my normal ninja attire. Hopefully, we'll make it there by nightfall." I glanced over at Yoru, frowning under my mask when I noticed he seemed to be more alert than usual. He let out a low growl and his eyes seemed to darken slightly.

"What is it?"

'_Someone's following us.'_

My eyes widened behind my mask and I switched to talking with Yoru mentally. _'How many of them are there?'_

'_There's just one…but he doesn't look like he's planning on going away anytime soon.' _

'_I guess we'll just have to try and go faster than him. Maybe we can shake him off-'_

'_**HIKARI, BEHIND YOU!'**_

I was suddenly knocked out of the tree tops and to the forest floor, which hurt an awful lot. I groaned as I felt myself being picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder. Yoru roared and I mentally yelled at him. _'Y-Yoru, go back to the Village…let them know. Can you tell who it is that's done this? If so, just go.'_

'_But-'_

'_**GO, YORU!' **_I felt something hit the back of my neck and then darkness took over from there.

So much for my first mission as an ANBU…

* * *

"Hmm…" Tsunade mumbled as she read through several papers. Things had been actually relatively quiet and peaceful today, which she found a bit unusual. Shizune running into her office with a panicked look on her face changed her mind about that.

"M-milady, Yoru has returned to the village!"

Tsunade frowned. "But didn't he go with Hikari several hours ago?"

"One of our summons told us what he said. Apparently, before they could get to the village Hidden in the Grass, someone appeared out of nowhere and knocked out Hikari. They took her with them!"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she stared in shock for a moment. She jumped out of her chair a second later and slammed her fists down on her desks. "Don't tell me…"

Shizune had a grave look on her face, "The scent the person had on him…it belonged to that of Orochimaru, though Yoru states that it was someone working for him instead of it really being Orochimaru himself."

'_What Hiroshi spoke of was true, then…Orochimaru really was planning on taking her…Damn!' _"Shizune, you know what to do! Call a meeting!"

"Yes ma'am! Right away!"

'_Of all the times, it just had to happen now when I send her all by herself on her first ANBU mission?'_

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

I groaned softly as I slowly let my eyes flutter open. It was dark in the room I was in, making it difficult to see where I was exactly at. I was aware that I was laying on a bed and I was in some type of…cell? What the hell?

I sat up slowly, rubbing the back of my sore neck to soothe the pain. I went to rub my face and I gasped when I noticed something.

"M-my mask…it's gone!"

"Looking for this?"

'_T-that voice…there's no way…'_

I looked over to my side, my eyes narrowing as they fell on the speaker, who had my mask in his hands. "Orochimaru…"

He gave me a malicious smile. "My, how you've grown up. If anything, you look exactly like your dear mother. And you possess just as much power as she did."

"What do you know? You didn't know my mother at all!"

"Actually, I'm afraid that's where you're wrong. I knew her and your father."

I frowned, standing up and running over to the bars of the cell I was in. I rammed into the bars, only to curse quietly when they didn't break. I tried again and that Snake laughed.

"If you don't stop, you'll only hurt yourself. I wouldn't want my next body of choice after Sasuke to be damaged."

I stopped at the mention of Sasuke mostly, but I felt a shiver of fear go down my spine at the other thing he said. "S-Sasuke? Sasuke's here? **LET ME OUT SO I CAN SEE HIM!"**

He chuckled, "I'm afraid I can't do that. I wouldn't want him to get distracted by your presence. Besides, he can't do anything for you. You're mine now, so just accept it."

I rammed into the bars again. "I'm not your property, you bastard!"

"Temper, temper…"

"**LET ME OUT! LET ME SEE SASUKE!"**

"Sorry, but Sasuke has better things to do than to mess with you. I do hope you'll enjoy your stay down here. I'll be back later to test your abilities, but right now, I'm afraid I have to go teach Sasuke a new jutsu. Goodbye for now."

And then he was gone. I was stuck down here in this pitiful excuse of a cell, all by myself. I decided to give up on ramming into the cell doors and try using attacks to break it down. I made some hand signs, only when I did, I felt…like I was drained. That's when I noticed something around my wrists.

The damn bastard thought that it would be funny to put chakra seals on me. I sighed sadly, sitting down on the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them while I rested my head on top of them.

I couldn't escape. There wasn't any sort of way out of this.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV~**

I frowned as Orochimaru walked around the corner and into my line of vision. He was an hour later than he had said he would be, and I had to wonder what it was that had made him late.

"You're late. What took you so long that you had to keep me waiting around?"

"Hm? Oh, well…there was someone I had to speak with before I could come along."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Who?"

"Oh, no one special. Just a new test subject. Now, how about we get to work on that new jutsu?"

"Hn, forget it. I've already lost my patience with standing her for an hour waiting around for you. I'm going for a walk." I didn't really care if he got pissed off by words. I could kill him in an instant if I wished to but, I still need him around if I want to get more power.

As I walked down the hall and into my room, I thought I heard banging, but I decided not to go look. It would just waste my own time anyway.

* * *

**A/N: Whew! Writing in Sasuke's POV while trying to keep in character is really hard -_-! So…yeah, review and give me your vote on stuff…LATER TATERS!**


	44. One friend down, one to go!

**A/N: Pooh…Hm, I'm not sure that combining both ideas was such a smart one…Well, it's not like it's the end of the world, right? Right!**

**Hikari: So, when am I gonna see Sasuke again? I'm getting kind of sick of sitting around down here…**

**Next chappie, since we get to see Hikari get rescued in this one! Sorry if you guys were wanting something else to happen, but I just felt like it was easier writing it this way. Enjoy!**

* * *

"If you don't eat, Lord Orochimaru will be very upset. You'd be hurting his feelings, seeing as you're his guest."

I turned my head away, my nose held high. "Good, let it hurt his feelings. Not like I care. Besides, you probably poisoned it anyway."

Kabuto sighed at my behavior. "Look, if you don't eat anything, you'll get sick."

"Good, then I'll die and I won't have to rot down here anymore. This place is a dump, there are no windows, and I have nothing to do in this shitty cell than only hope that by some miraculous event that I'll suddenly be free!"

He adjusted his glasses. "If you don't eat anything, then I'll have to feed you by force."

"I'll bite your hand off."

"Oh, come now, Hikari. Kabuto is being kind enough to offer his hospitality by making you something to eat and then you go and refuse it? I'm also hurt that you don't like where you're staying. I thought that surely you would come to like it."

I glared at the snake bastard and growled. "Sorry, but I don't like dull and dreary, just like I don't like you."

He chuckled at my words. "Oh, now that's not very nice."

"It wasn't meant to be."

"If you eat your food, I'll give you any wish that you want."

"Get these goddamn chakra seals off of my wrists."

And just as soon as I said that, they were gone. Instantly, I went into action. I wasn't gonna sit here for another week and rot in this cell. I ran at the bars and knocked them out of place, lunging out at them. I kicked Kabuto back and away before lunging out Orochimaru, only to have him dodge my kick. He smirked. "You really do have quite the temper. I'm not sure whether you fighting me is a very bad thing or a wonderful thing. I was planning to test you anyway."

"And I was planning on killing you!" I jumped back several feet and performed several quick hand signs. Time to put what I had trained for to the test. "Lightning style: Thunder spears!"

As the spears of electricity went at him, he dodged them and smirked. I blinked, narrowing my eyes quickly and preparing for the next attack when I found myself up against the wall and Orochimaru's hand around my neck. "You've gotten stronger. I'm going to let you in on a little secret: That night, 6 years ago…I killed Takashi and Kaori Sarutobi."

Everything stopped, even my heart and breathing. Those 6 words echoed in my head.

'_I killed Takashi and Kaori Sarutobi.'_

I lost it.

* * *

Blinded by complete anger and rage, Hikari lost it. She raised her legs up and kicked Orochimaru back. Her eyes began to glow and intricate patterns began to appear and glow on her arms and face. (A/N: Link for what it looks like is on my profile page. I found it on DeviantART and thought it looked just like what I was thinking, except in my mind they glow!) Orochimaru's smirk widened.

"Ah, this is interesting. It seems that this only happens when you become incredibly enraged or something…Hm. I've seen enough. Kabuto!"

Kabuto came out of nowhere and appeared behind Hikari, injecting her with something before she fell forward, the patterns disappearing. Kabuto grabbed her and placed her in a different cell, locking it before looking at Orochimaru. "So, what are you planning to do?"

"Keeping her as long as I need to. I will add the Godaigon and her to my collection."

* * *

**Sasuke's POV~4 weeks later~**

For the past 4 weeks Orochimaru has been coming later and later, the same excuse every time. This morning, I heard fighting and yelling from down the halls where Orochimaru usually kept most of his test subjects. It wasn't until last week that I found out that this new test subject of his was a girl who was apparently my age. I didn't really care. What Orochimaru did with his "toys" didn't concern me in the least.

Lately, I've found myself thinking more and more about Hikari for some reason. I don't know why, but…it's strange, not seeing her face all the time anymore. I wonder if she's still back in that pathetic little village…She was the only one that was strong.

"_Sasuke, do you…do you love me?"_

"_**No."**_

She probably hated me for saying that.

* * *

Hikari let out another battle cry as she rammed into the bars again. She slid down against them, leaning her head on them. Everything ached from ramming into the cell doors. Even though Kabuto chastised her, telling her that trying to escape was pointless.

She sighed, closing her eyes in defeat. It was no use. No matter how hard she'd try, nothing would work. She couldn't perform any jutsu because of the chakra seals. Kabuto had gone to the trouble to make sure that he took all of her ninja weapons and tools from her so she wouldn't cause herself "bodily harm" with them. If she was going to have to rot in this cell for the rest of her life, she'd rather kill herself than do so. The anger she felt towards the Snake Sannin had grown since he had admitted who had killed her parents.

'_I killed Takashi and Kaori Sarutobi.'_

Tears began to stream down her face as she clutched onto the bars of the door, clenching them tightly. Why was it that she failed at everything? She couldn't save her mother, her grandfather, and Sasuke…she couldn't stop him. He broke her heart, and she still couldn't stop him from leaving.

Orochimaru had taken everything precious to her.

A sudden familiar chakra signature made itself known, causing her eyes to open slowly. She felt her tired mind process who it was slowly, while another very familiar chakra signature also appeared beside that one. As the tears continued to stream down her face, she let a small smile appear as wiped away at them.

'_So…Lady Tsunade sent someone after all…'_

Hurried footsteps began to come down the hall, before she heard her name being called quietly. "Kari! Kari, where are you?"

"Hikari?"

'_Hikari!'_

The footsteps stopped and she heard a quiet gasp. "Kari!"

She looked up at Naruto as he ran over and broke the bars away, kneeling down in front of her and staring over her bruised and cut body worriedly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Hikari spoke first. Her eyes began to well up with tears again and she latched herself onto Naruto, sobbing happily. "Oh, Naruto!"

Yoru padded his way over to her and nuzzled her affectionately while Sakura and two other people watched as both Naruto and Yoru comforted her. Sakura slowly took in the Sarutobi girls form, frowning when she noticed how pale and tired looking she looked, and how bruised and beaten up she was. The good thing was that she was alive, though.

"Kari, what happened?" Naruto asked, frowning as he pulled away from her and watched her wipe her eyes, burying her face in Yoru's fur.

"While you guys were gone to go help Gaara…I made it into ANBU. This was supposed to be my first mission, to investigate some disappearances of people from the Hidden Grass Village. Before Yoru and I could reach the village, though…Yoru could smell and hear someone following us. I planned to just outrun him…but I he came down from above and knocked me out of the trees. I told Yoru to go back home and that's the last thing I could remember, until I woke in here, four weeks ago. I've been stuck down here since, though I almost managed to get out."

"And what happened?"

"Orochimaru stopped me and Kabuto knocked me back out. When woke up, I was back in my cell."

Naruto clenched his jaw, "That…That bastard!"

The man with brown hair and black eyes stepped forward stopping front of them. Yamato removed the Chakra seals on her wrists before introducing himself. "Hikari, my name is Yamato. I'm the leader of Team 7 until Kakashi get's out of the hospital from his last mission. I need to know…why did he target and kidnap you?"

Hikari stood up with the help of Naruto, her hair covering her eyes. She let out a silent sigh before looking back up at Yamato. "His intentions with me are the same as the ones he has for Sasuke Uchiha. Orochimaru plans to make my Kekkei Genkai his. He'd tried before to gain it…he killed my parents because my mother had the same ability that I do. Orochimaru said that after he took over Sasuke's body that I would be his next vessel."

Naruto gasped at the mention of Sasuke, grabbing her shoulders gently. "S-Sasuke? Where is he?"

She stared down at the floor sadly. "If I knew, I would tell you. I demanded to see him, but Orochimaru just laughed at me and said that Sasuke had no time for me."

"We're going to look for him. That's why we came here, along with rescuing you. We've got that done, so now we can look for Sasuke. Hikari, can you walk?" Yamato asked, sending her a questioning look. She nodded and he turned around. "Then let's go."

They took off, running down the hall way and out of the prison part of the lair. As they ran, Yoru spoke to Hikari. _'Did he touch you?'_

'_If you mean he raped me, then no. As for him beating me a bit, then yes, he did that. Fucking bastard taunted me the entire time.'_

'_Someone's cranky…'_

'_I've been stuck in that cell for four damn weeks. I'm used to being able to run around and train. I can't really do that when I'm stuck in a little cell, Yoru.'_

'_I'm just glad your safe.'_

'_Yeah, well I'm glad that you guys came and got me. I'm not sure how much longer I would've been able to maintain my sanity.'_

Hikari felt someone's eyes on her, causing her to look to the side. The other new face that had come along with the team was smiling at her. He had ink black hair and eyes to match it, while his skin was extremely pale. The one thing that Hikari noted when she first saw him was that he looked a bit like Sasuke, despite the shorter hair and paler skin tone. When she noticed him smiling, she cocked her head to the side.

"Hello, my name is Sai. I'm the new team member to Team Kakashi."

Even though she could see the smile was fake, she still smiled back. "Nice to meet you Sai. Welcome to the team."

They came to a stop when there were two different pathways. After making sure the coast was clear, Yamato began give directions. "Okay, let's split up into two teams here. Since there's only two pathways and 6 of us, one team will have two extra people on it. Sakura and myself, and you four on the other." Yamato said, pointing at Hikari, Yoru, Naruto, and Sai.

Naruto stared at Sai for a moment before nodding. "Whatever it takes."

Hikari smiled at the blonde. _'I'm surprised at you, Naruto.'_

'_You should've seen him on the way. Ugh, it was terrible…'_ Yoru complained.

"If anything happens, infuse your chakra. Hikari, eat this really fast. It well let me know where you are if anything happens." He handed her the seed and she swallowed it quickly. "I'll come to you as soon as I can. Alright…move out!"

'_Just hang on, Sasuke. I swear, I'm on my way!' _

Hikari felt her stomach twist into knots. _'Sasuke…please, just listen to us this time. Come back home to us…back to me.'_

"_Like I already told Sakura and you, Hikari. It's over. Just leave me alone."_

_"Why should you care what I do? It's my concern, not yours. I have my own path to follow now. And neither you nor anyone else can steer me from it. I will tell you this much: My days of playing ninja with you kids of the Leaf Village…are done."_

"_I said you're a fool. You think that power is the only thing that matters in this world. But it's not. Everyone has reasons for wanting to get stronger…You have yours, I have mine, and others have theirs. Mine is to protect the things that matter most to me in life and to avenge the death of the third Hokage, my grandfather. Yours is to kill Itachi. Naruto's is to become the greatest Hokage. Everyone's reasons for getting stronger are different. Some reasons are good, some are bad."_

_"I told you, I wanted to get stronger for you too, Hikari."_

_"Sasuke, do you…do you love me?"_

"_**No."**_

She had a determined look on her face. _'When I see you, Sasuke…I'm going to make sure that you get some sense into your head, even if I have to beat it into you.'_

* * *

**A/N: Hmm! Next chapter: Sasuke and team 7 reunite! What will Sasuke do when he sees Hikari in the condition she's in? What will he do when he finds out that it was Orochimaru's doing? What will happen? Keep reading to find out. You guys rock with the reviews! LATER TATERS!**


	45. Distance! You are my friend!

**A/N: I have this bad feeling that somehow, this won't go well…but I'm putting my best effort, so I do hope you enjoy! Please note that this chapter was very difficult for me to write, due to trying to keep Sasuke-kun in character. Believe me: It's not as easy as you think…**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hikari, Naruto."

"We see it!" Naruto exclaimed, all of them coming to a stop at the first door they saw. They opened it, revealing an empty room with an empty bed. They took off again, Hikari riding on Yoru's back now. The next room they checked was empty as well, Naruto running inside to check it out.

"This one's empty, too!"

The next one, Hikari checked. "Nothing here in this one!"

And the next. "Damn it!"

Sai shook his head as he checked the next one, Hikari and Naruto running past him. Tears began to form in their eyes as they ran.

'_Where are you?'_

'_Sasuke, where are you?'_

Naruto shook his head in hopes to stop the tears. He looked back up and yelled. **"SASUKEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

'_Do you smell him?'_

'_No. I've got nothing…' _

As they stepped into the next room, Naruto panted heavily. "He's not in this one either."

"Naruto, I believe this is the last room on this level. Let's move onto the next one and search there." Sai suggested.

Naruto nodded, "Right."

They took off again, heading towards the next level. Naruto suddenly tripped and fell causing them to stop again. Hikari jumped off of Yoru's back and ran over to him, kneeling down next to him and helping him up.

"Naruto, don't push yourself so hard."

"Remember, the others are searching too." Sai reminded, "Hikari's right, there's no need to push yourself so hard."

"Shut up! This is no time to be resting. We're so close to finding Sasuke." He stood up, only to fall back down.

Hikari sent him a warning look. "Naruto, that's enough. We're taking a small little break whether you like it or not."

Naruto didn't reply because he passed out. Hikari sighed while Sai walked over and lifted the blonde up from the ground, slinging an arm over his shoulders. As they walked further down into the halls of the lair, Sai turned to look at Hikari.

"What is your relationship with Sasuke?"

Hikari made a small sound of surprise, her cheeks turning pink slightly. "W-well…you see, he's sort of my best friend and…well, I'm not sure what you could call it but…we have a strange friendship. It mostly consists of me doing all the talking while he listens. That's sort of what it is right now…well, what it was at least." Sai sat Naruto down against the wall, Hikari kneeling down next to the blonde. She smiled at his unconscious form for a moment before standing back up and climbing onto Yoru's back. She closed her eyes, blocking out anything besides her and Yoru's thoughts. She winced slightly, rubbing her shoulder that had her birthmark on it.

'_You…You used stage 2, didn't you?'_

'_N-no! What make you say that?'_

'_Liar! You know what Hiroshi said about using it! You haven't grasped it completely, and it could kill you if you're not careful.'_

'_Yoru, I didn't use it on purpose. I was blinded by rage that Orochimaru caused. I know what Hiroshi told me.'_

'_You let your anger get the better of you, didn't you?'_

'_I did, and I regret it now. Hell, who knows? If I hadn't of used it I might've managed to escape.'_

The sound of footsteps approaching caused them all to look to the side, Hikari's eyes widening while Yoru growled. Orochimaru stopped a few feet a ways from them and smirked. "Well now…Sai, the time has come for you to choose which side you're going to be on." He glanced over at Hikari and smirked even wider. "My little toy…It seems that you've left your cell without permission. We'll just have to teach you a lesson."

Yoru took a step back with Hikari while Naruto and Sai jumped up and stood in front of her.

"Striking shadow snakes!"

Naruto, Sai, and Yoru with Hikari on his back all jumped back and away from the snakes that Orochimaru sent at them. When Orochimaru saw the determined look on Sai's face, he sighed. "So, you've chosen their side I see. Sai, or whatever your name is. Come now, Hikari. Let's go back together."

"No!" Hikari screamed while Yoru let out a loud roar. Naruto growled and moved forward a bit.

"You're not taking her anywhere! Leave this to me, guys. Now both of you go on and find Sasuke."

"But, Naruto-"

"Get going!"

Sai nodded. "Very well. Don't worry, wherever he is, I'll find him and I'll save him. Let's go, Hikari."

"Right!"

* * *

We reached two different pathways, both of us going off on each one, Sai going left while I went right.

'_Hikari?'_

"What?"

'_What do you plan to do when you find him and if he refuses to come back home?'_

I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking back to that day, two years ago.

_"I…nothing, Yoru. I'm not strong enough to do anything. One day, when I do get stronger, though…I will fight Sasuke myself. And I will win."_

"If I have to…I will fight Sasuke myself. And I will win."

'_Heh, true to your word, aren't you?'_

"You know it." I said, smiling a bit before it disappeared as I checked the first room. Of course, it was empty. "Do you smell anything?"

'_No. My guess is that either he's in the direction that Sai went or he's on a different level.'_

"We don't have time to check either way. For now, we'll just have to do our best on this one. Who knows…we may just come across Sasuke."

How wrong I was. There were at least 20 different rooms down that one hall way. So far, the 5 rooms that we'd managed to search were all vacant, no signs of Sasuke anywhere. Out of pure impatience, I punched the wall. **"DAMN IT!"**

***BOOOOOOOM!***

I gasped loudly, holding onto the wall to maintain my balance. _'Jeez, Hikari. I didn't know that you were that strong.'_

"I sure as hell didn't cause that. If I knew any better…I'd say that Sai found Sasuke…and probably woke him up. Let' go, Yoru!"

He let out a loud roar before he took off down the halls, running quickly while I rode on his back.

**Reunion!/ Distance; You are my friend!**

'_I can smell him, Hikari!'_

'_Sasuke…when I see you, you better hope I don't jump you and wring your neck!' _

'_Yamato, Sakura, and Naruto are already there.'_

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

Sasuke frowned down at his former teammates and the two new faces. Hearing that Kakashi couldn't make it didn't really surprise Sasuke, but when he didn't see the familiar caramel eyed brunette with them, it…bothered him, somewhat.

"Where is Hikari?"

Naruto growled. "Not dead, thank god. She's been stuck in that cell down there for four weeks, and you didn't even bother to help her. Orochimaru could've killed her if we hadn't of gotten here any sooner!"

Although his cool demeanor remained, Sasuke was in rage on the inside. So, she had been his new little 'toy.' Sasuke wanted to find Orochimaru and slit his throat, but he wanted to see Hikari first.

"Where is she?"

"She's right here." Everyone glanced over their shoulders while Sasuke stared down. Out of the shadows walked the familiar brunette, her tiger companion by her side. She stopped next to Naruto, looking up and opening her brown eyes to look at Sasuke. He took in her form. She had changed. Her hair was longer and she looked a bit stronger than the last time they had met. She also didn't look like the little 13 year old Genin anymore. She looked like a young woman. When he saw the cuts and bruises that marred her beautiful skin, he clenched his hand into a fist a for a moment.

"Team Kakashi…" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes remaining on Hikari before they glanced over at Sai, who had drawn his Katana.

"I knew it! Sai, don't!" Sakura cried.

"So that guy is my replacement? I thought the team already had a weakling. He was saying something about wanting to protect the bond between Naruto and me."

Sakura gasped quietly, looking over at Sai. "Sai, I thought your mission was to assassinate-"

"It's true, I was given a classified mission to find and eliminate Sasuke. But I'm through following orders. From now on, I think for myself. Naruto, I think you can help me remember. Bring back those old feelings I thought were lost. Things…that were once important to me. I really don't know that much about you Sasuke, but I do know that Naruto, Sakura, and Hikari would be willing to risk just about everything for you. They don't want to lose their connection with you. They would given anything to protect those bonds. I still might not understand it that clearly, but you-Sasuke- you must understand it!"

Sasuke closed his eyes. "You're right. I did understand…" when he reopened his eyes, they had an intense look in them. "And that's why I severed them!"

While Sakura and Naruto gasped, Hikari stared down sadly. _'Why?'_

"You see, I have a different bond now. Between my older brother and me; it's the bond of hatred. Having too many ties in this world will only lead you astray. It weakens ones ambition. Distracts you from what truly matters."

_"You're a fool."_

_He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Hikari, her hair shadowing her eyes. "What'd you say?"_

_"I said you're a fool. You think that power is the only thing that matters in this world. But it's not. Everyone has reasons for wanting to get stronger…You have yours, I have mine, and others have theirs. Mine is to protect the things that matter most to me in life and to avenge the death of the third Hokage, my grandfather. Yours is to kill Itachi. Naruto's is to become the greatest Hokage. Everyone's reasons for getting stronger are different. Some reasons are good, some are bad."_

_"What's your point?"_

_"My point is that your reasons are bad and foolish. It's understandable that you have a big reason for wanting be stronger, but yours is the most stupid. You're willingly waking to your death bed just so you can gain more power."_

_"I told you, I wanted to get stronger for you too, Hikari."_

_"Liar." She muttered, causing his eyes to widen. "The Sasuke that I know doesn't betray his village and friends in order to get stronger for me. You're not the Sasuke I know. You're not my Sasuke. You're just a monster that looks just like him and is consumed by thoughts of hate, anger, and revenge." She looked up at him and her Godaigon was activated, her green and blue orbs intense. "I told you that if I was given orders by Lady Hokage to bring you back home, then I would follow them, even if it meant I had to bring you back by force. I meant every word that I said, Sasuke. Every bit of it."_

_"But…one day, when I get stronger…I'll do my best to get you back into the light. Remember when Kakashi-sensei asked us what our dreams for the future were? I think…I know what my dreams are. My dreams are to become the first musical ninja, to master the Godaigon like my mother did, to avenge the death of my dear grandfather, and to become a strong and well known shinobi. No one can take them away from me. Not even you. Even though things are going to change, Sasuke…I will always consider you precious to me. You'll always be my best friend."_

_"If you leave, Sasuke…and you don't achieve that one goal that you have…What all would it have been for? What will you have then? You won't be able to come back here…No one would trust you enough to let you back in, and they'd probably kill you. What else is darkness, but hate and rage? You can tell yourself over and over again that you can get back onto the right path, but you won't ever be able to. You'll go astray again, Sasuke. How would that…How would that honor you clan's memory?"_

Hikari clenched her hands into fists at her sides while Naruto simply stared down. "If that's how you felt, Sasuke…then why didn't you…If that's all true then why didn't you kill me that day? Weren't you gonna break our bond? **SASUKE?**"

"Naruto…"

"The reason is simple. It's not that I couldn't break our bonds, Naruto. I was simply doing as my older brother had done before me. It was nothing more than a strategy to gain power."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't owe you any explanations. All I can tell you is…that day…"

"_Chidori!"_

"_Rasengan!"_

"_**CHIDORI!"**_

"_**RASENGAN!"**_

"That day…when I left you lying there, I only spared your life on a whim, nothing more."

Before Hikari could comprehend what had happened, Sasuke was on the ground in front of them, standing in front of Naruto.

"You know, come to think of it, wasn't it always your dream to become Hokage? All of the time you've spent chasing after me would've been better spent in training. Wouldn't you agree, Naruto?"

"Sasuke, what hell are you…" Hikari began, only to stop when Sasuke began to speak again.

"But this time, my whim is telling me…" He began to unsheathe his Katana, "to finish what I started!"

"How could I ever be Hokage? I can't save a friend…isn't that right, Sasuke?"

He began to bring his sword down on Naruto. And just before it could touch Naruto or get too close to him, Hikari ran up behind him, grabbing Sasuke's wrist, Sasuke's sword stopping inches away from her lower back. She sent him a glare while he sent it back at her.

"You're in the way."

"If you kill him, Sasuke…then you might as well just kill me, too. Because there is no way that you will kill someone precious to me while I'm around. I will not allow it to happen!"

"_To protect the things that matter most! That is my nindo. My ninja way."_

While Naruto moved out of the way, Yamato sent a shot of wood at Sasuke, who reacted immediately, being sure to shove Hikari out of the way. "Chidori stream!"

Streams of electricity flitted around, Naruto and Sai both getting hit with the attack. As soon as it had died down, Sasuke stood in front of Hikari. Sakura watched from a few feet away, and fearing her friends safety, ran at Sasuke. When Hikari saw Sasuke getting ready to strike the pinkette, she ran out in front of Sakura and took the hit instead.

Sasuke could only stare at her with wide eyes as his sword pierced through her shoulder.

* * *

**A/N: DUHN-DUHN! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT SASUKE SHOULD SAY TO HIKARI OR WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN BETWEEN THEM ARE WELCOME! LATER TATERS!**


	46. Why Can't You Understand?

**A/N: So, someone that reviewed asked if I had these chapters prewritten since I update fast. Actually, I don't. I write these everyday, starting them before I go to school and finishing them up when I get home from school. Nothing is really prewritten, except for the Hokage's death chapter and when Sasuke leaves. Those were the only two prewritten chapters. Well…So, what shall happen? You'll find out, so enjoy!**

**Also, I've changed Hikari's theme to Sad romance. Look up Final fantasy Sad romance on youtube to hear it. It's the music for this chapter.**

* * *

"**HIKARI!"**

Sasuke cursed as he saw the blood pouring out of the wound that his Kusangi had caused. Though it was a small wound, the blood was enough to know that he had physically hurt Hikari. She stared up at him and smiled.

"I thought I told you. If you want to kill my friends, you'll have to kill me first."

"Stupid Karasu!"

Kari laughed slightly. "Sure, call me a stupid crow if you want. At least I'm not a fool like you." She winced as Sasuke pulled the blade from her shoulder, thankful that it wasn't as deep as she thought it to be. She went to work, her hand glowing as she put it over the wound and began to heal it herself. She frowned as she stared up at him. "You've fallen too far into the darkness, Sasuke. But…" She disappeared quickly, surprising everyone else but Sasuke. She reappeared behind him, a Kunai at his throat. "That doesn't mean that you can't come back home with us! NOW!"

"Wood style: dome wall jutsu!" Yamato shouted, wood popping out from the ground and trapping Sasuke and Hikari inside, Hikari keeping the kunai to his throat. Sasuke smirked.

"You really think that this thing can keep me in here?"

"Maybe not, but I can."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at her, his Sharingan eyes staring right at her. She glared at him hard, adding pressure to the kunai she had pressed to his throat. "Are you going to kill me, Hikari?"

"…"

His smirk widened slightly when he could feel her hand shaking slightly. Taking it as an opportunity of weakness, he moved fast, pinning Hikari to the wall, his hand keeping her wrists above her head. She struggled in his hold and he leaned down towards her ear, his breath warm and sweet against it. "Because I don't think you have it in you to even attempt to hurt me."

The kunai she had in her hand fell to the ground, hitting it with a clatter. A sad smile appeared on her face. "You're right, Sasuke…if I killed you then I wouldn't be able to live with myself. But…I swore that if you associated yourself with that bastard Orochimaru, then I'd have to kill you too."

His hair tickled the side of her neck as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Why do you wish to kill Orochimaru so bad, Hikari?"

She went silent for a minute, before she spoke up quietly. "Because…not only did he kill my grandpa, but he killed my mother and father. He slaughtered them."

Sasuke stiffened at her words, keeping his head resting on her shoulder. The silence was long and prolonged, causing Kari to mentally scream at it. Finally, Sasuke spoke up again. "Slaughtered?"

Sasuke felt something wet on his neck, causing him to stare up at Hikari. His eyes softened slightly as he saw the tears falling down her cheeks. "Their mission was supposed to just be a simple delivery mission! No one was supposed to target them. No one was supposed to die! No one was supposed to get killed! He just killed them! **ONLY FOR THE GODAIGON!**"

He was quiet as she cried softly, keeping his head on her shoulder. As soon as she was done, he pressed a soft kiss to her vulnerable neck, causing a shiver to go down her spine. "Come with me, Hikari…"

"I-"

"I won't let Orochimaru touch you. Or Kabuto. No one will ever touch you again. No one will ever hurt you again…" He trailed off, bringing his head back up and leaning it against hers. "No one will ever hurt you again…" He repeated, pressing his lips to hers. Immediately, she pushed him away and slapped him.

"I know what you're doing! You think that taking advantage of me will make me want to go with you. Playing with my emotions will make it all better, huh? If you want to protect me, Sasuke… if you care enough for me, then come back home before it's too late….please, come back home to me."

"I'm sorry, Hikari…but I can't."

**"SSSAAAASSSUUUKKKEEE!"**

Sasuke jumped up and broke out of the dome, jumping back up onto the cliff he had been standing on earlier. Hikari jumped out of the dome and back to the others, staring up at him while he stared back down at her.

"Why…**WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND?**" Naruto asked, digging his nails into the ground. "He'll take your body, Sasuke. It's Orochimaru, he's just using you!"

"If it happens, it happens. So be it. You're still such a child, Naruto. I don't care what happens to me or anyone else in this world. So long as I can get my revenge, nothing else matters. To be honest, neither Orochimaru nor I am strong enough to defeat Itachi alone. But if can obtain the power to defeat Itachi by giving myself to Orochimaru, I'll give him my life a thousand times over."

Hikari, Sakura, and Naruto all stared up at him in disbelief and shock. Yamato moved over and stood in front of them. "Enough talk. Naruto, Sakura, Hikari…out of consideration of the three of you, I haven't taken in drastic measures against Sasuke, but…I'm sorry. I can't hold back anymore."

"Captain Yamato!"

"You don't mean…"

"What do you plan on doing?"

"He's a rogue shinobi. No different from Orochimaru. He can't be allowed to roam free. We're bringing him back to the Leaf by any means necessary."

"The Leaf Village. I'm done with the lot of you." He stabbed his Kusangi into the earth and made several hand signs. "It's over!"

Before anything could happen, a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Naruto growled. "Orochimaru…"

"I wouldn't bother with that Jutsu. Be smart now."

"Let go." Sasuke ordered.

"Now, now…" Kabuto appeared beside them. "I'm not going to tell you again. Watch your tone with Lord Orochimaru."

"Give me a reason to stop."

"You do remember the Akatsuki are on the move now, don't you? We want the good people of the Leaf Village to get rid of them for us. As many of them as possible. If the other Akatsuki interfere, you might not get your precious revenge."

"That's a pitiful excuse." Sasuke said, glaring slightly at Kabuto.

"But if it helps your chances by one small percent, then it's worth it. Agreed?"

"You also wouldn't want to hurt a specific someone down there, would you?" Orochimaru asked, smirking slightly. Sasuke turned to look back down at the crater, his eyes falling on Hikari as she knelt down next to Naruto and helped him sit up. His wrist went lax in Orochimaru's grip and the Sannin released him. "We're leaving."

Sakura gasped while Hikari felt her eyes watering up slightly. Her brown hair blew around in wisps as the wind blew by, blowing around some of Sasuke's hair as he pulled his Kusangi from the ground and sheathed it. Hikari closed her eyes and stared down at the ground as soon as she met Sasuke's eyes.

"I hate you…"

And then, they were gone, just like that. Everyone's gazes fell to the ground, Naruto's eyes welling up with tears, the same as Sakura. Both of them watched as Hikari threw her head back and screamed. **"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH, SASUKE UCHIHA! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"**

Yoru moved over to her, allowing her to grab onto him and bury her face into his neck and cry quietly.

"Naruto…crying won't bring Sasuke back." Sakura said, Naruto's sobbing stopping. "Hikari and I are here too. We have to be strong, the three of us together."

"Well, look, we've still got almost half a year left. And four make better odds than two. You've got me, that should be some help, right?" Sai asked, smiling at them.

"Thanks…"

* * *

**A/N: It was short, sorry! I couldn't think of what else to write after it! Well…I hope you enjoyed! Let me know how the next chapter should start out! LATER TATERS!**


	47. Blue Bird! You said if you could fly

**A/N: Wow, 151 reviews? You guys absolutely rock! I love you guys! So…yeah…enjoy!**

* * *

When you're stuck in a cell for four weeks without any light inside whatsoever and you find out the truth about your parents deaths, you can tend to have nightmares when you do get out of there and back home. It's been two weeks since we ran into Sasuke, and two weeks with nights full of nightmares for me. I haven't slept this bad since after the attack on the village and the whole Itachi incident.

The main thing that bothers me is that I wished that I had said yes to going with Sasuke.

Now I couldn't help but look at my morals and question them. Things were unusually quiet around here. Since the whole kidnapping incident, Tsunade has given me a couple weeks off to recover.

And not just from being kidnapped, but for the lecture that the village elders had given me. I was insulted, infuriated…they were making a bigger deal about the incident than necessary, and the were berating me, saying I brought shame to the village and the name of Sarutobi. It's not my fault that Orochimaru is stronger than me. I sighed and laid my head down in my arms as I stared outside the window of my bedroom, watching a blue bird land on a branch. I smiled at it for a moment, only to have it disappear, leaving behind a single blue feather.

I was finally beginning to understand that things never stay the same. People don't stay around forever.

_**Blue Bird; You said if you could fly…**_

_You said if you could fly_

_That you would never come back down_

_That you would aim high_

_For that blue, blue sky_

_You've yet to remember _

_True sadness_

_And you've just now began_

_To grasp real pain_

_Even these feelings_

_I hold onto for you _

_Are just now changing_

_Into words_

_As you awaken_

_From the dream_

_Of an unknown world_

_You spread your wings_

_And take flight_

_You said if you could fly_

_That you would never come back down_

_And you aimed high_

_For that blue, blue sky_

_For that, for that_

_Blue, blue sky_

* * *

Yoru laid down next to Hikari as she threw rocks out at the lake, watching her each time with interest as she threw one out at the water. They'd been sitting out here for a little over an hour, and Yoru was beginning to get bored of just watching his human friend throwing rocks at the water. She'd been very…inactive for the past two weeks, mostly staying at home and leaving the house when she felt it was necessary. Though she wouldn't voice why she was acting this way, Yoru could already tell that it was because of the whole Sasuke incident recently. He just didn't bother to say anything for Hikari's sake.

'_Aren't you supposed to go visit Kakashi in the hospital today?'_

She nodded, standing up. "That's right…I'll see you at home."

As soon as she had made it to the hospital and walked into her Sensei's room, she blinked in confusion as she took noticed of Naruto and Sai's faces. Both had bruises on their cheeks as if someone had hit them. Figuring it was just best not to really ask for the details, she walked inside completely and shut the door behind her.

"Well, there you are, Hikari. I was beginning to think that you weren't going to come and visit me."

She felt here eyebrow twitch. "I'm not that cruel, sensei. At least give me a little credit, would ya?"

Kakashi smiled and Hikari moved over to stare out the window as he continued with what he had been saying before she had walked into the room. Yamato had told him about Sasuke and what had gone down. Hikari didn't really listen, seeing as how the outside world was more fascinating at the moment. She did, however, become interested when Kakashi mentioned teaching a jutsu to Naruto that would only work for Naruto. Before he could go into it any further, someone interrupted him.

"How you feeling today, Kakashi?"

"Asuma-sensei, you should really try knocking first, ya know." Ino stated, while Choji stuffed his face and smiled at the people in the room.

"What's up, guys?"

The four walked into the room, and Shikamaru smirked when he saw Hikari, Sakura and Naruto. "Look who's here: It's Naruto, Sakura, and Hikari! Guess your mission must be-" He stopped as soon as his eyes landed on Sai. He glared at him. "I know you. You're that guy from…" He growled, and Choji made a sound of surprise while Ino blushed.

"Huh? What guy?"

Sai did the only thing he could think of and that was smiling. "Hello there."

Naruto explained what had happened before when Sai had attacked them, and Choji seemed to realize it. "Oh, I see. So that's what that was all about. I guess I buy that."

"My name is Sai. You can feel free to be casual."

Ino leaned over towards Sakura and Hikari, grinning slyly. "Hey, that new guy is pretty cute, huh? He even kind of looks like Sasuke!"

Hikari wanted to cry at the mention of Sasuke's name. She moved away from the two girls and sat down next to Choji, asking him if he would let her have a couple of chips, which to her surprise, he did. Asuma, who wanted to speak to Kakashi in private, told them all to go have some barbeque, saying it was on him. While everyone left, Asuma noticed that Hikari remained in her seat.

"Hey, squirt, you wanna go join them?"

She stood up and shook her head. "Nah, that's okay. I don't feel very well, uncle. I'm just gonna go home and go to bed."

Both Asuma and Kakashi watched her leave with frowns etched onto their faces.

As soon as she was out of the hospital, someone called her name out. Turning to glanced to her right, she saw a familiar head of red hair and bright blue eyes heading straight towards her.

"Hikari!"

"Oi! Minorin, what's up?"

Minorin grabbed her and nearly squeezed her to death. "What's up? What's up is you, that's what's up! I heard about what happened. That Snake bastard didn't-"

Hikari shoved her off of her and frowned. "No, he didn't rape me. God, why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Minorin smiled apologetically. "I…I also heard about Sasuke."

Hikari tensed, her hair falling down to shadow her eyes. "Listen, I'm feeling a little sick right now. Can we maybe talk about this later?"

"Uh, sure, but-"

Before she could manage to say anything else, Hikari had disappeared into a cloud of petals, leaving Minorin to ponder whether her best friend was okay.

* * *

Running, running, running…

_You can't run for long…_

What?

_Your past will always catch up to you, no matter how hard or how many times you try to run from it._

Leave me alone…

_Face it, Hikari. It's your fault that you've already lost so much…_

Shut-up.

_They're all gone, and it's because of you!_

No!

_All you are…is an empty puppet!_

**NO!**

"No!" I gasped as I shot up, panting heavily. After taking a few deep breaths, I glanced around, realizing that I was in my bed and in my bedroom. It was 3 in the morning. Shakily, I raised a hand up to my face and rubbed it, pushing the hair that had falling into my sweaty face. I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them, burying my face into my arms.

'_Why is it that the guilt and pain doesn't seem to go away?'_

* * *

**A/N: Man, the site has been so weird, so I wasn't able to post this up right away T-T. But, here it is, craptastic and all! Hope you enjoyed! LATER TATERS!**


	48. The Last of the Third Hokage's Legacy!

**A/N: Ick, school was gross today. We didn't do a lot, so it was boring…Eh, whatever. Okay, so I'd like to wish a happy birthday to an anonymous reviewer by the name of Saki! And now, I will have everyone sing to you!**

***Hikari and the Naruto gang all line up with signs and balloons*: 1, 2, a 1,2,3! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SAKI! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOO YOU! Yay! Sadly, I can't grant your birthday request in this chapter, which makes me feel bad! I'm sorry, guys, but I've already sort of planned out when Hikari and Sasuke will meet again. It's too difficult to change it around. DON'T HATE ME! Ok, so…yeah. I'm not planning on doing the 12 great shinobi guardian arc, because…it takes too much F******time! Meaning, there will be a time skip! Enjoy!**

* * *

**A month later~**

Things had been quiet since the attack on the village. Luckily, we managed to stop the people who had attacked us before it got out of hand, and things had gotten peaceful again.

Or, so I thought…

"The…Akatsuki?"

Lady Tsunade nodded her head in confirmation as she stood, her back to me as she stared out the window. "That's right. Asuma spoke of the time where you encountered two of the Akatsuki members with Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki…"

"Um, yeah, but I don't really see what this has to do with me, exactly…"

She was quiet for a moment before she turned around to face me. "The Akatsuki are after the tailed beasts. When you encountered the two Akatsuki members 2 ½ years ago, they were after Naruto. And they still are. Since Naruto holds the Nine tailed fox inside him, he is a walking target. Although there haven't been any attacks on the Land of Fire as of yet…it's already been confirmed that the Akatsuki have shown their hand in neighboring lands."

I frowned, "I still don't understand why you're telling me all of this."

"Your ANBU exam score was off the charts. No one has even seen that kind of score in years. Your skills are not like any others, and you fit this job description perfectly. Also, there's another reason as to why you can only do this one job: I've already dispatched several teams to look near the Nations border. Only, there was one place I didn't send a team to. The Tamakoya Mountains. That's where you'll be going. I want you to watch anyone that passes by the mountain carefully."

I nodded in understanding. "Right."

I teleported out of her office and outside to a waiting Yoru, climbing up onto his back. _'So, where are we going?'_

"The Tamakoya Mountains. Let's go!"

* * *

_**A song played just for you, my dear uncle!/The Last of the Third's Legacy!**_

It was very odd when I reached the mountains. I went straight to Hiroshi's house to tell him what was going on and why I was here, but he wasn't home. I found Yuna, the one who had taught me medical ninjutsu during my two year stay. She was ecstatic to see me, and she told me that Hiroshi was gone on some type of secret mission. As she sat me down for some food, she sat down in front of me, a grave and worried look on her normally cheerful face. Yuna was interesting. Not only did she possess the Godaigon, but she was able to…sense things, see into the future, sort of. I think she might've inherited it from one of her parents, seeing as one of them was not a Kietsu, so she had told me.

She had her blue orbs closed for a moment before she reopened them, pushing back a strand of blonde hair in her face. "I knew you would be coming. I just didn't know when. Also…I already know why you're here. It's because the Akatsuki are on the move once more."

I frowned. I never really knew that Yuna could see that much. Then again, I wasn't really even aware that she could even see the future just a few months before I went back home to the village…

She sent me a look, one that I couldn't read. "They've already made it past the mountains, Hikari. Tsunade sent you a little too late."

I gasped quietly. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"They attacked elsewhere. The last thing I was able to see about them was that they were headed towards a collection office somewhere. But…I'm afraid I don't know where."

I sighed. If they weren't around here anymore, then there really was no reason to be here any longer…but I was given orders, and there was always the possibility that more Akatsuki members could show up around here to back up the ones already in the Land of Fire.

"There's also something else you need to know, Hikari. Someone will lose their life at the hand of the two members that have already made their way past the mountains. A Leaf Shinobi will lose his life. It saddens me to say that I don't know who."

I clenched my fists unintentionally. "I see…I'm going to patrol with Yoru. I'll be back later, Yuna."

* * *

Hikari and Yoru patrolled the mountain for about five hours, until Hikari had finally grown tired enough to call a break. She sat down on a rock and sighed, happily sighing as the wind blew threw her hair. The happiness disappeared though as the words of the wind reached her ears, causing her frown.

'_The end for him is near…'_

The birds that flew overhead began to chirp a mournful song, and the sound of crows cawing angrily could be heard in the distance.

* * *

This wasn't supposed to happen. Things weren't supposed to go in this kind of direction for them. Not at all. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

No one was supposed to die. At least, not the Platoon leader.

"Ino, Choji! Get going, now!" Shikamaru ordered, Choji getting ready to pull Asuma up into his arms and take off, only to stop as a weak voice spoke.

"Don't…" Asuma said weakly, causing the three to gasp. "I'm done for…Even I…can tell. You three should realize it, too."

"Shut-up! Don't speak!" Shikamaru ordered, glancing over at Ino. "Ino!"

"Right!" She moved over to Asuma's side, her hand beginning to glow as she began to heal Asuma. When a grave look appeared on her face, Choji looked at her questioningly.

"Ino?"

"They got four vital organs…"

Rain clouds began to roll in, concealing the sunlight as it thundered loudly.

"There's nothing more…I can do."

Shikamaru let out a loud gasp, bowing his head down and closing his eyes. "I think I finally understand why the Third did what he did…But, like always, I took too long…to figure it out. Ino, Choji, Shikamaru…I have one last thing to tell you, and one last request."

"Sensei, you shouldn't talk anymore!" Choji exclaimed, Shikamaru stopping him.

"Choji! And Ino…These are Asuma-sensei's last words. Just listen."

"Ino…"

"Yes?"

Asuma looked over at her. "You're strong willed, dependable and responsible…Choji and Shikamaru…they're total goof-offs. Keep them in line…"

Ino nodded reluctantly as the tears began to form in her eyes. "Okay…"

"And don't let Sakura beat you…in ninjutsu or romance." Asuma added in.

"Okay!"

He smiled, looking over at Choji. "Choji, you're a kind man who cares for his comrades. That's why…you'll become a shinobi more powerful than anyone else. Be more confident in yourself. And…maybe diet a little."

"That might be a little too much, but I'll give it my best shot!" Choji promised, wiping his eyes with his arm.

"And Shikamaru. You're so smart…and have great sense as a shinobi. You could definitely become Hokage…But…you're too lazy…You'd probably hate it. I never even beat you once at shogi…Heh, I never even beat Hikari at it, either." He said, coughing up a bit more blood as he laughed at all the times his loving niece whooped his butt at the game. "Speaking of Hikari, I have a request. My sash…give it to Hikari when you see her. This…will be the one thing that will remind her of me. Also…tell her that I want to hear that pretty violin of hers. I want to hear the song one last time…" He smiled, "Ah, yes…remember our talk about the king? I'll tell you who it is. Come closer." Shikamaru did as instructed and listened, his eyes widening as Asuma finished.

"You-but…Asuma!"

"Please, Shikamaru…It doesn't matter now, does it? Even though I quit…They're in my pouch. I want one last smoke…"

Thunder sounded loudly as Shikamaru lit up the cigarette he had put in his sensei's mouth, the man recalling the many times he had been chastised by his students and his niece.

"_Your stupid smoke is making our eyes water!"_

"_Just face it, if I don't beat you sooner or later, than that stupid cancer stick that you have in your mouth is gonna kill you before I get the chance! Smoking is bad!"_

Asuma mentally smiled sadly as he thought back to the first chunin exam.

_"And before you know it, I'll be able to kick your butt and surpass you one of these days. Just wait old man, that day is going to come eventually."_

"_Well, that won't happen for a really long time, just like you surpassing me won't happen for a while."_

'_Looks like…I was wrong about that not happening for a really long time. You've surpassed me already, Hikari. I could tell when you came back home from training with Hiroshi.'_

The cigarette fell from his mouth, and the flame on the lighter began to go out.

Asuma let one last smile appear on his face. _'Sorry, Hikari…it looks like I'll never beat you at shogi after all…'_

With that one last thought, Asuma Sarutobi took his last breath.

"**SENSEI!"**

The heavens began to weep for the loss of yet another Sarutobi Legacy.

* * *

Hikari growled as Yoru ran through the rain, soaking them both. She decided to forget the orders and return home to the village as fast as she could. The wind did not tell her who had died, because it didn't know. The rain began to let up as soon as they entered the village, heading to the Hokage Residence. Without thinking, she jumped off of Yoru's back and burst through the doors. "Lady Hokage-"

She stopped as she noticed Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shikamaru were also in the room. Tsunade stared up at her with a saddened look in her eyes, while Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shikamaru gave her similar glances. She frowned. "What…what the hell is going on here? What's with the looks?"

Shikamaru held something in his hands as he walked over to Hikari. He held it out for her to see, and she paled, her brown orbs widening. With shaky hands, she took it from Shikamaru, staring down at the dirty sash that had apparently just been clean off that he handed to her. The sash that _he _was never seen without.

The sash that her uncle _never _took off.

She stared at it hard for a moment before looking up at Shikamaru. He looked at her with a look of sadness and regret, causing her to glance over at Kotetsu and Izumo, only to find the same looks on their faces. She shook her head, mumbling to herself as she clutched the piece of fabric in her hands. "No…"

Shikamaru caught her as she fell forward, standing her up straight. "He said he wanted you to have it as a reminder of him. He also said…he wants to hear the song one last time."

Hikari's hair hid her eyes from them as she nodded weakly. Shikamaru gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"I'm sorry…"

The funeral was held the next morning. Everyone had gathered in the graveyard, Kurenai moving forward and setting a bouquet of flowers down on Asuma's tombstone. Naruto had his arm wrapped around Konohamaru's shoulders as the 12 year old sobbed loudly. Hikari held the violin that her uncle had purchased for her all those years ago, resting it on her shoulder and lifting the bow, beginning to play a sad, yet noble and beautiful tune. Everyone closed their eyes and listened to her play, until the song was over. As everyone began to clear out, Konohamaru walked over to Hikari. She handed him her instrument, telling him to take it home and leave her be. He did as she had asked and left her alone, heading on home.

Hikari stood there, just staring down at the tombstone and the three around it, reading the four names engraved in each one.

_**Sarutobi Hiruzen**_

_**Sarutobi Biwako**_

_**Sarutobi Takashi**_

_**Sarutobi Kaori**_

_**Sarutobi Asuma**_

Only two were left. Two children of the Third's Legacy. The only two names that weren't on tombstones.

Sarutobi Hikari and Sarutobi Konohamaru. The only remaining members of the main Sarutobi family. The last of the Third Hokage's family.

The last of the Sarutobi Clan.

Arms wrapping around her shoulders from behind caused her to glance back, her eyes softening when she was met with bright blue eyes.

"Y'know, you can cry and let it all out, if you wanna." Naruto told her gently. Hikari's gaze faltered, and she sniffed, the tears forming in her eyes. She sniffled again, and again, until she was sobbing. She fell to her knees, dragging Naruto with her, Sakura and Sai gathering around them.

His comfort and words were just enough to make her cry.

* * *

"You're leaving again?"

Hikari nodded, adjusting the strap of her back pack slung over her shoulder. "I…I'm kind of down right now, so…I'm just gonna take awhile off. I wanna see the world some and go around and perform my music for different villages. I think…it will help me heal."

Naruto smiled, nodding in understanding. "Just don't think you can go without training!"

She smiled back. "I know. I'll train while I'm gone, I promise. Take care of the village while I'm gone, yeah?"

He gave her a thumbs up and she waved, walking towards the village gates and out.

If only she knew what was to come.

* * *

**A/N: Pretty bad in the beginning, but I think I did a pretty good job later on, yeah? Sasuke will be seen again very soon, so I'm kind of excited! Ooh, also, I'm working on a Kuroshitsuji fic, though I'm not even done with the first chapter :P…So, yeah, should I post it up or not? Tell me what you guys think about this chappie! LATER TATERS!**


	49. Attacked by two idiots! Taken by Force!

**A/N: Yay for reviews! They absolutely make my day, y'know? Okay, so I've done a 4 month time skip, seeing as how Sasuke kills Orochimaru like 31 episodes after the one where Asuma dies. Yeah, just thought I'd point that out. But I have some exciting news about this chapter! We get to see Deidara and Tobi! Yay, I think there freakin' hilarious! HAHA, so when do we get to see Sasuke-kun, you ask? Maybe this chapter, maybe, but I'm thinking it won't be until the next one. Also, someone asked me if Hikari ever gets a summon. Actually, she gets several, but she has five main ones she learned to summon during her 2 years of training with Hiroshi. We get to see those five main summons in this chapter, and later on, we'll see other summons :D! So…enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**4 months later~**

Today was another beautiful day on the road. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and the birds were singing. 4 months on the road was really fun, so far. I'd gone around to different villages and lands performing my music and singing. I was enjoying myself on this vacation of sorts.

'_Where are we headed to next, Hikari?'_

I glanced down at the map in my hands and pointed to our destination. "The Land of Waves. We'll be staying there for a couple of weeks before we head to our next destination, which I have no clue about."

'_When do you think we'll reach The Land of Waves?'_

I stared up at the sun, "It's still morning, so we might make it there by nightfall."

Suddenly, Yoru stopped walking, his ears flicking back and forth while a low growl resounded from the back of his throat. _'Someone's following us…'_

I frowned, clutching his fur in my hands. "How many?"

'_There's two of them…'_

"How quick are they moving?"

'_Ninja speed. What do you want to do?'_

0o0o0o0o

Hikari closed her eyes for a minute before she reopened them and climbing off of Yoru's back. "At the rate that they're moving at, I have no choice. The Land of Waves is our next stop, so head on over there without me and hide."

'_Is that really a smart idea, sending me off while you stay behind?'_

"You cannot use jutsu like summons can, Yoru. I'd rather not put your life on the line just so you can protect me. Now, go!"

'_As you wish,' _Yoru said, dashing off. Hikari watched him until she couldn't see him anymore, turning to make sure she had plenty of ninja tools, which she did. She kept her back facing the direction that the enemy ninja were coming from, her eyes remaining closed. It wasn't until the sound of a kunai being thrown did she react, using the wind to blow it off course.

_**Surprise attack!/ Karasu and Duck-butt Reunite; I'll take you with me by force!**_

"Did you see that, Deidara? She used the wind to knock the kunai away!" An overly cheerful and hyper voice exclaimed.

"Shut-up, Tobi! I saw it already."

Hikari let out a quiet sigh, pulling out a kunai. "All right, who are you two and what do you want?" She turned around, holding the Kunai tightly while getting in a stance and staring at the two men. One was blonde man, his bangs completely covering his right eye, while the other one wore an orange mask with one hole for his eye. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed their attire. Black coats with red clouds. "You're Akatsuki members."

The blonde man smirked, "So, she's heard of us? Well, that saves us a lot of time. Listen, we know who you are and about your special Kekkei Genkai. Hikari Sarutobi, our boss wants you to join the Akatsuki."

Hikari's hands clenched into fists. "Join the Akatsuki? What do you two idiots take me for, an idiot like yourselves?"

"HAHA! She called you an idiot, senpai!"

"Shut-up, Tobi! She called you an idiot too!" Deidara exclaimed angrily, Tobi shutting his mouth. "I'm guessing that we'll have no other choice but to take you with us by force." He threw something at her, and she caught it, staring at it for a moment.

'_Clay…?'_

"S-senpai! You're not going to blow her up, are you?"

'_Blow me up! Like hell he is!' _Hikari immediately discarded the thing from her hands and leaped back several feet, just in time as the little ball of clay exploded. _'So, this guy uses explosives…Interesting…I'm not quite sure if there's exactly any type of jutsu I can use to keep the explosive from getting me, so…It looks like I need their help. But first…' _"Do you really think a tiny little exploding ball of clay can get me that easily? You're an amateur!"

"Why you little-" Deidara, growled out, stuffing his hands in the pouches on his hips. Tobi looked over at the clay figure in Deidara's hands and made a sound of surprise, a large puff of smoke shrouding them. When it cleared, it revealed a large clay dragon, causing Hikari to smirk.

"A clay dragon? Like it can do anything special except send explosives at me. It's not a real dragon," she closed her eyes and activated the Godaigon, reopening them and bringing her hand up to her mouth and biting down on her thumb, drawing blood. Quickly, she made several hand signs, slamming her palm down onto the ground. "Summoning jutsu!"

Five large clouds of smoke appeared in front of Hikari, soon blowing away to reveal five large beings.

"How about my dragons against your fake one? Let's see which prevails: Real or fake?"

Tobi stared at the five large, beautiful dragons in awe. "H-how did she summon five things at once?"

Hikari smirked. "These are the legendary five elemental dragons, Mizu, Denkou, Faia, Tsuchi, and Uindo. I will explain how I can summon them. It's because of my Kekkei Genkai. Now that I've explained, let's see how long it will take for me to get rid of you."

Mizu, the blue water dragon glanced down at Hikari with sapphire eyes. "It's rare for you to summon all five of us at once, Hikari. What is it that we need to do?"

"See that big clay dragon? Destroy it."

"As you wish," Mizu said, flying up into the air, the other four dragons following her lead. Deidara had already jumped onto the dragon and was already in the air, launching different explosives at the five dragons. Mizu sent a jet of water at him while Tsuchi tried to hit him with his tail. While several explosives hit Faia and Denkou, Hikari made several more hand signs.

"Wind style: Hurricane Gale!"

The large cyclone of wind hit Deidara and his clay dragon, but it wasn't strong enough to knock them out of the way or send them flying. Faia flew forward.

"Fire style: Flame serpent!"

"Water style: Tsunami of terror!"

Both attacks sent the dragon flying, Deidara jumping down to the ground, and shooting clay at the five dragons, the clay exploding and knocking them out of the air. All five landed, the ground shaking as they hit the ground. Hikari was over by their sides, checking them over worriedly.

"Are you all okay?"

"It's been a long time since we've last fought like this…We're out of strength and Chakra." Mizu told her. Hikari nodded in understanding and dispelled the summon, the five dragons disappearing. Deidara came out of nowhere, aiming a punch at her face. She ducked, sending a kick to his gut. He caught her leg and threw her, sending her flying. She fell to the ground, hitting it rather hard. Standing back up, she made the move to hit him again, only to be knocked back again.

'_This guy is stronger than I am…I hardly have any chakra left from that summoning…I have to get away!' _She made the move to run, but Deidara caught her and threw her to the ground again. She grunted in pain as she hit it, laying there for a second before sitting up on her hands and knees, glaring up at the person who had knocked her down.

"I can do a lot worse than hitting you, un. So I suggest that you shut-up and be quiet. Oh, and don't try that stupid little running away stunt again, yeah!" Deidara stated, a dangerous look on his face as he grabbed Hikari up by her arm roughly.

She scoffed and wrenched her arm out of his grip and glared at him. Tobi walked over to her and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, he wouldn't kill you! He doesn't have the guts to do that to a girl!"

"Tobi, shut-up!"

"S-sorry!"

They sandwiched her in, Tobi walking behind her while Deidara walked in front of her. She glared at Deidara's back as she was forced to follow them, thinking about what to do. _'I….I have to get away from these guys… I'm almost out of chakra though from trying to get away earlier…Deidara proved to me earlier that he's actually quite slow, and my speed is incredibly quick for him to counter my attacks. But that thing he uses to fly on is what helps him keep up with me, even though I'm still faster. The only way to get away is by speed now, since I'm real low on chakra. I'll have to focus what little chakra I have left to my feet and try to go as fast as can without stopping…' _Without anymore thought to her plan, she let the chakra she had left flow to her feet before she took off, nearly knocking her captors down with the gust of wind she created as she ran past them.

Deidara smirked. "The little brat just doesn't seem to give up, eh? It's like she wants me to kill her."

Tobi stared at him nervously. "D-Deidara, I think we should let her go. She's a lot stronger than y-you gave her credit for."

"That's not true. But, I guess we should let her go…for now, at least. Let her think we've forgotten about it until we show up when she least expects it."

* * *

**Several hours later~**

I panted heavily as I came to a stop, my legs wobbly as I walked slowly. My plan had worked, and I kept running until I realized they weren't coming after me. It put me at ease, knowing that I had gotten away. I pulled my water bottle out from my backpack and opened it up, putting it to my lips and beginning to drink. Once I felt refreshed, I screwed the cap back on and continued my walk, heading in the direction of the Land of Waves. Eventually, I got there around dark, stopping and staring up at the sign that hung above the bridge.

**THE GREAT NARUTO BRIDGE**

I laughed softly. "So…they decided to name it after Naruto, huh? I guess…it suits it." I nodded with myself in agreement before walking forward and onto the bridge. "I wonder…how everyone back home is. I haven't written in a while…guess I should write them when I get to a hotel…"

I sighed as I entered town, smiling when I noticed that it wasn't as in bad shape as it had been when I had last been here. It was no longer poverty stricken, it was now thriving with life. I walked into a nearby hotel and rented a room for the night, immediately falling onto the bed. I wore myself out with all that running, and I was surprised I could still manage to walk straight. I wanted to take a shower before falling asleep, but I just couldn't find the strength to move, so I let myself drift off into the land of dreams.

**The Following morning~**

_Dear little brother,_

_I know that I haven't written in awhile, and I'm sorry that I haven't. Life on the road has been awfully busy, making it hard to find time to do anything. So, how're you doing? How is everyone doing? Well, I hope. How about your team? You guys haven't drove Ebisu-sensei crazy yet, have you? Don't worry, I'm joking! I'm sure you're all doing well on missions. How about Lady Tsunade? Is she doing a good job at being Hokage? What about Naruto and Sakura? I hope they're well also. And Kakashi-sensei, too. I hope that they're all well. Tell them that I say hi and I miss them. Actually, tell everyone that. As for how I am, I am doing fine. I'm getting stronger, and bit famous around some places. People seem to get happy whenever I perform. Don't worry, I'm training myself everyday, and I've managed to pick up some new techniques here and there. When I get home, I'll show you! _

_I promise I will!_

_~Love, Hikari~_

Kari smiled as she folded up the letter and placed it inside an envelope, sealing it. She looked to forest. _'I need assistance with a delivery. If there is someone that is willing to be a carrier bird, please come out.'_

The screech of a hawk caused her to grin slightly as one flew out of the trees and towards her, carefully landing on her extended arm. Kari gently pet its head and neck. "I need you to deliver this to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Do you know where that is?" The bird gave a screech, which meant yes. "Wonderful. There are two men who sit at the front entrance of the village. They should be easy for you to spot, so once you reach the village, deliver the letter to them and wait there for awhile until someone gives you a letter to bring back to me. Is this okay with you?"

The hawk nuzzled into her hand as she pet its neck. "Good. You'll be able to find me easily, since I've spoken to you. Just search for my chakra signature, and you'll be able to find me. Now, go." Hikari ordered after handing the letter to the Hawk, which it now held in its beak, the hawk flying up and taking off, Hikari watching it until she could no longer see it. She glanced over to a familiar cliff side, a small yet sad smile gracing her face. She headed up a path that led to the edge, stopping when she saw the two crosses. A frown appeared on her face as she glanced at the one to the right.

'_The sword…it's gone? Someone must've stolen it…what a shame. It gave the graves such a bold look, too.' _Hikari thought to herself as she knelt down in front of the crosses. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, and prayed. As she did this, small flowers sprouted up from the ground and around both crosses. When she was done praying, she opened her eyes, and smiled as she saw the flowers around her and the crosses. "It looks nicer now…Makes your graves look like someone cares…" Hikari said, picking several of the flowers and beginning to knot them together with ease and care. She smiled at her work as she placed two new wreaths around both crosses. "There you go, Haku and Zabuza…hope you two feel refreshed with the flowers."

"Hey, you said the sword was here, not some chick!" Someone with a slightly cocky tone exclaimed, causing Hikari to stiffen.

She pulled a kunai out from her pouch. "You: State your name and purpose for being here at these graves."

"Sheesh, this chick is a bossy one."

Hikari growled slightly. "Answer me! Who are you and why are you-!" She stopped mid sentence as soon as she turned around, her jaw nearly dropping in shock.

"Say, this chick is actually pretty cute!" The one from before stated. Hikari didn't bother commenting on what he said, only glaring at the other person that stood before her.

"So, you're robbing graves now, huh?" Hikari asked, her tone bitter and spiteful

If Sasuke was surprised, he didn't show it in any way. He just stared at the girl before him. "Did they finally decide to get rid of you since you're so useless?"

Her glare hardened, despite the pang she felt in her chest from his words. "No, that's not even close to the reason!"

"Then what is the reason? Either you left because you got sick of that boring and weak village, or they kicked you out."

That did it for Hikari. She pulled out a kunai and threw it at Sasuke, growling in frustration as he simply moved out of the way, causing the kunai to hit a tree. He stared at her with an emotionless face. She yelled and lunged at him, aiming for his face, only to have him grab her wrist and stop her. She made the move to kick him, but he stopped her by grabbing her leg. She squirmed around, struggling to get out of his grip.

"Still too weak."

"SHUT-UP YOU TRAITOR AND LET ME GO!" He tightened his grip on her limbs and she grunted in pain.

"Maybe I will consider it…if you tell me why you're here and not with the others."

"I swear, if you don't let me go right now, I will kill you."

"Try."

She managed to slip free from his grip, and she kicked his chest, knocking him backwards and into the trees. She ran after him. "Believe me, I will!"

Sasuke wanted to laugh at her naivety, but settled on just giving her an emotionless look. She made the move to hit him again, but he blocked her. This went on for awhile, Hikari trying to hit him and Sasuke blocking her attacks. Eventually, he managed to throw her into a tree, earning a pained cry from her. Before she could get back up, he was in front of, pinning her arms to the tree. "You failed."

Kari glared at him before looking away and down at the ground. "You went easy on me."

"Why are you-"

"Stop asking that for one second, will you? I'm only passing through, then I'm gone, okay?"

"That's a lie."

She tried to knee him in the nuts, but he stopped her, his hand on her knee. "I don't want to have to hurt you, Sasuke. But if I have to, I will."

"No you won't."

"I have orders. Every other Leaf shinobi has the same orders. Lady Hokage told us that if we were to ever come across you, we were to capture you and bring you back. I was hoping that I would be lucky and not have to see your ugly ass face ever again while I was away, but look what happens? I have the sad misfortune of looking at it right before me."

He smirked slightly. "You weren't so cruel the last time we ran into each other. I never thought you would abandon the village. Why did you leave, Hikari?"

"I'm on leave of absence, a vacation if you will. I just wanted to see the world a bit….But it's also because of emotion problems. Ever since everything that happened with Orochimaru 2 years ago and several months ago, things have been…difficult with missions…"

"Do continue."

"I couldn't perform missions properly anymore. After the incident with the sand village during the Chunin exams…the walls that I had built around my emotions started to crumble piece by piece. It had taken so long to rebuild them after my parents died, and then…when you ended up in the hospital because of what your brother did to you…The rate that they were crumbling at was going faster. Asuma had me see a Psychologist, and slowly, I was beginning to get better. My walls were beginning to repair themselves. And then…You left. And they completely fell down, beyond repair. I was hysterical. I couldn't stop crying. I don't even know why I couldn't, but I just couldn't stop. I couldn't sleep anymore. The nightmares wouldn't go away. I felt weak. So, I left to go and rebuild those walls that you destroyed. I didn't want to leave, but I had to. It was either stay and live a normal life, or try to take time by leaving and letting my mental stability heal. And so far…I've managed to fix what you and anyone else has broke. I don't need to be the only remaining member of my clan that didn't become a successful ninja."

Sasuke frowned, studying her carefully. "Something else happened, didn't it?"

Her hair fell down in her face, covering her eyes. "Asuma died…"

Sasuke's frown disappeared, and he stared at her with a look that held sympathy in his black orbs. "Konohamaru and I are the only two remaining members of the main Sarutobi family. The last of the third Hokage's legacy…the last of the Sarutobi clan. And it's all because of the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Konoha can deal with the Akatsuki, but I have vowed to kill Orochimaru-"

"Orochimaru is dead."

She stared up at him in surprise. "D-dead? Sasuke, you…You killed him, didn't you?" Sasuke's eyes told her enough, and she pushed him off of her, slapping him. Sasuke's head whipped to the side from the blow, his purple eyed friend staring in shock and surprise. "I don't know whether to be angry that you killed him before I could, or grateful…Maybe the latter."

"Hn."

"What're you going to do now?"

"I'm going to find Itachi and kill him. But first, I'm assembling a team. And I want you to join me."

She sent him an incredulous look. "You can't be serious?"

He smirked. "Do I look like I'm joking around, Karasu?"

"And if I refuse, what're you going to do? Kill me?"

He opened his mouth, only to be silenced by a deafening roar. The purple eyed boy watched in surprise as a blur of black and orange dashed past him and towards Sasuke, knocking the Uchiha away from Hikari. The large tiger moved in front of her, baring his teeth as an uninjured Sasuke got back to his feet and shot the large creature a glare while Yoru growled at him.

'_So, can I eat him this time?'_

Hikari sighed at the tigers question. "No, Yoru, you cannot eat him!"

While the tiger argued with his human companion, Sasuke spoke up, interrupting them. "If you refuse to come with me willingly, then I'll just have to take you by force."

She stared at him angrily. "Like hell you are, Sasuke. I'm not going with you. I'm not someone to betray my home and my friends. I'm not like you!"

Something connecting with the back of her head silenced her. She fell forward, and Sasuke caught her, throwing her over his shoulder. Yoru sent him a feral growl, and Sasuke stared at him with an emotionless look. "I'm not going to hurt her. You two are going to be coming with us from now on."

Yoru could only follow along with him.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, so…yeah…Not much to say, except…YAY! SASUKE IS BACK! Yeah, so…review and stuff…LATER TATERS!**


	50. Sharkboy, Suigetsu and Zabuza's Blade!

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 50! Read and enjoy!**

* * *

Despite the fact that probably the most delicious yogurt in the world was sitting in front of me, I was still pissed off. Like buying yogurt would make this any better. If I didn't have charka seals on my wrists, then I would've already killed Sasuke and his purple eyed friend, whose teeth resembled that of a sharks. Pretty strange if you ask me. To make things a bit worse, the waitresses in this place were all gawking over Sasuke. Fan girls…how I hate them.

Maybe not as much as having to listen to Sasuke's friend moan in delight as he ate his yogurt.

"This yogurt is the best. It's been so long since I had anything like this. I was in a water tank all this time."

"Can you afford to relax like this?"

"But…you're the one in a rush." He said, pointing his spoon at Sasuke. "Why are you gathering us together anyway?"

My exact question…

"I'll tell you when we've all assembled."

"'All right, let's go conquer this world!' You're not gonna say something like that, are you?"

"Do that on your own time. I'm aiming for…something much bigger."

I silently gagged in disgust as I watched shark boy scratch his head with his spoon. "If anyone else started saying that, I wouldn't believe it for a second. But with you…I think maybe it's possible…And that's the strange thing. Say, you gonna eat the rest of that, beautiful?"

I pushed the remainder of my yogurt towards him, laying my head down on the table. It was very uncomfortable sitting with someone who had betrayed my village and someone I didn't even know. Poor Yoru had to sit and hide in the woods so he wouldn't scare people, and Sasuke wouldn't even let me go see him.

"Oh say…The Great Naruto Bridge, was it? Ever heard of a large blade near that bridge?" I realized that the waitress had come back with Shark boy's 10th order of yogurt.

"Well….Oh, maybe there was…" She glance at Sasuke, blushing hard. "What about it?"

Shark boy pointed his spoon at Sasuke. "He's looking for that blade." The poor waitress had a panic attack, nearly dropping her tray. She said she would go ask someone about, and there was a bunch of screaming in the back room. Shark boy looked at Sasuke and smirked. "You're quite the ladies' man, eh?"

I tightened my grip around my spoon as the waitress brought back at least 3 other girls with her, all of them squealing in excitement. "Tazuna…"

"Who lives by the riverside…"

"Would know!"

I smiled slightly as I remembered our first mission to the Land of Waves, recalling Tazuna and his family. I dropped my spoon onto the table as I was grabbed and dragged out of the little yogurt shop, Sasuke walking in front of me while shark boy walked behind me. So much for a chance of escape…

"By the way, Sasuke…Why'd you bring this chick along? She doesn't seem to be the type to fight. She seems too pretty to even be a real Kunoichi."

He crossed the line with that statement. I growled, stopping and whipping around, aiming my fist at his face and hitting him straight on, except it melted into a blob of water. Like any normal person would, I jumped back, watching with wide eyes as the shark boy's head reformed back to normal, a wide grin forming on his face.

"Say, you're stronger than you look. So, what's her name?"

I wanted to punch Sasuke as I saw him smirk out of the corner of my eye. "Don't bother asking that bastard. My name's Hikari."

"I'm Suigetsu, sweetheart." He sent me what I guessed to be a flirtatious grin, causing me to roll my eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "Listen, Shark-boy, my name is Hikari, not sweet-heart or beautiful. As flattering as it is, just call me Hikari."

"Sure, sure…whatever." Suigetsu smirked, and I sighed. I kind of liked him, personality wise. If I was going to be traveling around with them, which I really didn't plan on doing, it would be nice to have someone to talk to that actually could hold their end of the conversation, unlike Sasuke.

"Say, who is Tazuna anyway?"

"The carpenter boss who built that bridge." Sasuke explained as we made our way to Tazuna's house, where we found someone working on something outside.

"The boss isn't here right now."

"Do you know where he went?" Suigetsu asked, crossing his arms behind his head casually.

"To the Land of Lightning to build a bridge. He took Inari with him. He won't be back for another year."

"The Land of Lightning, eh? That's very far."

"Do you know of a large blade that was left near the Great Naruto Bridge?" Sasuke questioned.

"Oh, that. Tenzen Daikoku took it. He originally came here to capture the ninja that wielded the blade. But after learning the ninja was dead, he took the blade with him instead."

After receiving the information, we left, heading back into town. Suigetsu seemed a bit…upset. "Damn it…Tenzen Daikoku, eh? He was the aide to the lord of the Land of Water. Apparently, many of his men were killed during Zabuza's coup d'état in the Hidden Mist. I guess he had a grudge from back then."

"I went to a lot of trouble of putting that sword in the ground, too. It was heavy as-" I was cut off as someone ran into me, nearly knocking me over. The guy turned around and began to yell at me.

"Where the hell…do you think you're-?"

"Hey, we were just looking for you." Suigetsu said, waving.

The man screamed and took off, only to have Suigetsu grab him and throw him into a pile of trash bags. "Wh-who are you guys?"

"You seem like the type to know all kinds of things…" Suigetsu said cheerfully.

"I know nothing about Tenzen!"

"Anything will do. Just tell us what you know." Suigetsu told him calmly, smiling all the while as he pulled a kunai out.

Poor guy was terrified as he spilled what he knew. "T-Tenzen Daikoku is a politician…But there's another side to him. He's the boss of a huge band of thieves. I hear he doles out huge bribes to the feudal lords, and gets to do whatever evil things he likes."

"See, you know it all? And? Where does he live?"

I didn't really care enough to listen. Since I was a few ways behind both Sasuke and Suigetsu, I slowly turned around on my heal, very quietly, and began to move away. Sadly, I didn't get very far, since Sasuke grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back, sending me a warning look. I let out a huff of annoyance, blowing a strand of hair out of my face.

Like I mentioned before, so much for a chance of escaping…

* * *

The next day, Hikari was dragged along with Sasuke and Suigetsu through the woods. She wasn't very happy when Sasuke had tied a rope to his own wrist and connected it to Hikari's, that way each time she tried to escape, he could just pull her back. Currently, the three were hiding in the bushes up on a hill, watching at least a thousand men riding by on horses.

"Cripes…what's going on?"

"It seems another powerful clan plans to attack Tenzen's castle tomorrow with an army that numbers in the tens of thousands." Sasuke explained, tugging Hikari back as she tried to pull away from him.

"Oh…is that true? Oh well, whatever. The more confused the enemy becomes, the better my chances. Be it several thousand or tens of thousands, it doesn't matter to a Ninja like me. I'll sneak in tonight and take the Executioner's Blade."

"How about making a wager?"

"A wager…?"

"On who gets the Executioner's Blade first…"

Suigetsu laughed, "Huh? I never expected you to have a playful side! Let's do it. It sounds like fun."

"Then it starts now. There's only one rule. We don't kill anyone."

"Huh?"

Sasuke untied the rope from his and Hikari's wrists. "Let's go."

She frowned as she rubbed her now free wrists, following Sasuke reluctantly. As they landed in the middle of the men, the horses whinnied in surprise and fear, everyone staring at Sasuke and Hikari in shock.

"Who the hell are you two? You're both suspicious!" Before he could say anymore, Sasuke leaped up into the air and kicked him off of the horse he was on, landing on top of the horse gracefully, drawing his Kusangi.

Hikari rolled her eyes at his actions. _'Showoff…'_

Within minutes, all of the men were lying on the ground in pain, an the three were moving towards the palace. They stopped as a rain of arrows was sent flying towards them from inside the castle walls. And like the showoff he was, Sasuke saved them by burning them up with his Fireball jutsu.

"Gotta hand it to you, Sasuke!" Suigetsu exclaimed, only to stop when he realized Sasuke was no longer there. "What the-? He's gone?" Hikari sighed loudly as more men ran out from the gates, Suigetsu staring in shock as they ran towards them. "Is this for real?"

"As real as this is gonna get, shark-boy. Might as well make yourself useful if you wanna get your hands on that blade first." Hikari said, leaping away and into the trees where she could watch the battle. She wasn't involved in this, so she figured she might as well let Suigetsu handle it instead. It was over in seconds, and Suigetsu had made it inside successfully. Hikari walked over to the mess he had left behind and smiled upon finding a suitable sword to her liking. She lifted it up from the ground, taking the sheath from the owner and sheathing her new weapon, hanging it off of her back. She whistled, Yoru running out from the trees. She climbed onto his back and sat there while Sasuke and Suigetsu were inside. She made a sound of surprise as the castle began to fall down as if someone had merely stepped down onto it. Sasuke and Suigetsu came out of the building unharmed, and Sasuke tied a rope to Hikari's wrist again and took her new sword away from her, causing her to sigh.

They made it to the outskirts of the village, Suigetsu happily sporting his new blade. "As long as I have this blade, I won't even lose to you…maybe. Say, you knew I was going to claim this blade, didn't you? And…You knew from the start that the blade wasn't in that grave…" When Sasuke didn't reply, Suigetsu smiled slightly. "I see…The one who warned that castle to gather its men…was you? Tenzen acted like he'd met you before. Hey? Did you suggest a wager just to lure me into enemy territory? Were you just testing me? Man, you're terrible. What if I was hurt? Well, I understand now…what kind of guy you are. And you're exactly the way I imagined you to be. Anyway, I have my blade. So, I'll help you as promised."

Sasuke still remained silent, ignoring Hikari's curses and threats to him if he didn't stop dragging her, threatening to let Yoru eat him.

As they stopped near the ocean, he turned to look at her. She glared right at him. "I'll untie this rope, only if you swear not to run away."

"I don't understand why I need to be here in the first place!"

"Because, you're useful. That's why I want you on this team. Now, will you stop complaining and trying to run away if I untie you?"

She was silent for a moment, before nodding curtly. The rope was cutting her wrist raw, and she didn't feel like having it rub it raw any more. While Sasuke was at it, he released the chakra seals as well, leaving Hikari free. She gave up on trying to run. Besides, Sasuke proved that he could catch her, so what was the point in trying to run away at all anymore?

For the first time in awhile, Hikari Sarutobi gave up on freedom.

* * *

I let out a somewhat content sigh as we walked on the water, breathing in the sea air while listening to the seagulls caw over head. It was a nice change in scenery, somewhat. I ignored Sasuke and Suigetsu as they talked, laying down on Yoru's back and closing my eyes. I was already exhausted, mostly because of my escape attempts and yelling at Sasuke. Apparently, he still didn't trust me enough to let me have my new sword back. I rolled over on Yoru's back and stared up at the sky, watching as a Seagull flew past us and away. How I envied that bird and it's freedom to fly wherever it wished.

It pissed me off to a very great extent.

I sat back up and hopped off, deciding that walking would be better than just riding on Yoru's back. I gave my tiger companion a gentle pat on the head, earning a happy purr from him, causing me to smile somewhat.

"So, what is it with you and the tiger?" Suigetsu asked me, gaining my attention.

"He's my travel companion. Yoru and I have been together for awhile, and he just follows me everywhere acting as my ears and nose. Plus…we're friends." I explained, smiling down at Yoru as he walked beside me.

"It's sort of strange…"

Yoru growled at that.

"How so?"

"I mean, aren't you afraid of him eating you or something?"

I shrugged, "Not really. I can understand Yoru, and I know he would never eat me. It's part of my Kekkei Genkai, being able to understand animals and nature. Watch this," I pointed my finger down at the water and carefully pulled some up, forming it into a sphere, levitating it around. I moved it towards Suigetsu so he could stare at it before making it spin around Sasuke. I let it fall on his head just for fun, though I know he didn't really find it funny, but Suigetsu and I did, both of us laughing at Sasuke's now soaked head.

"Think of it as pay back for kidnapping me. I can do worse than that, just so you know."

And it was true. I could do much worse.

* * *

**A/N: So…Karin makes her appearance next chapter. Let's see how that goes, huh? Review and stuff, yeah? LATER TATERS!**


	51. Annoying redhead and violent orange top!

As we stood in front of the iron doors, I was waiting patiently for someone to go on ahead and open them. Since it looked like Sasuke had forgotten to get a key, I figured he'd get Suigetsu to slash them open with his new sword. Both of us looked at him expectantly and his sword.

He frowned, pointing at Sasuke's Kusangi and my katana. "You both have one, too."

"Yours is more suitable."

I glared at Sasuke. "Besides, he won't even let me touch mine."

Suigetsu sighed, pulling the blade off of his back and moving forward. "Open sesame!" he slashed at the door about 7 times before it fell in a pile of pieces. We walked inside, and already, I could tell that I didn't like the place one bit. It was too…dark and…creepy. It smelt pretty bad too, and Yoru even agreed with me on that one. About half way inside, we were stopped as someone stepped out from the shadows and stopped in front of us. It was some red-headed chick and she had what looked to be an agitated frown on her face.

"So it's you, after all…Sasuke."

_**An annoying red-head and violent orange top!**_

"Sasuke…the fact that you're here alone must mean that the rumors were true."

"Geez, that's mean. We're here, too." Suigetsu told her, gesturing to himself and me.

"And? What brings you here?"

"Sasuke has something to discuss with you. We can't stand out here and talk, so take us inside, will you?" Suigetsu said, walking forward and standing in front of Sasuke. "It's been so long since I've walked…I'm exhausted."

The red-head looked around to stare at Sasuke, "What do you want to talk about?"

Suigetsu walked forward, angrily. "I said let's not stand out here, Karin. Although I know you're totally ignoring me."

She leaned forward and sniffed, pulling back and staring at Suigetsu with a bored expression, "You disgust me."

"What'd you say?"

Since I was no longer on Yoru's back, Sasuke dragged me forward with him and sent the red-head, whose name I now knew was Karin, a glare. "Cut it out, Karin. Take us inside."

"Fine." We followed her into a room and sat down on a couch, Sasuke making me sit down next to him.

"Karin, follow me. I need you."

She freaked out. "Huh? Why would I follow you? I'm under orders to oversee this place!"

"Orochimaru is already gone." Sasuke said, his tone calm.

"What about the prisoners here?"

"Speaking of prisoners, they were awfully quiet. Have the rumors about Orochimaru's death reached them?" Suigetsu asked, Karin remaining silent.

"The number of prisoners has slightly lessened since I came here last. Also, there are signs of recent digging in the grounds in front of the entrance. Karin, with that sharp intellect, information control must be your forte."

"I get it. Rumors about Orochimaru's death began spreading among the prisoners, so in order to avoid a riot, Karin has been wisely taking action…Is that it?" Suigetsu asked.

I was disgusted by how Suigetsu explained how Karin had gotten rid of the gossiping prisoners. It was just cruel…

"Karin, it's your cautious nature which maintained order in the prison. Or rather…kept you alive."

"You'd better stop talking like that!"

"You've been trained by Orochimaru, all right. Man, you're scary." Suigetsu mumbled, causing me to slightly giggle. "You probably sensed our presence long ago. You could've even killed us by now."

"If you were alone." She stared at me and Suigetsu as she said this.

"But not Sasuke?"

"I didn't say that! Sasuke is a colleague. I wanted to see if the rumors were true…that Sasuke killed Orochimaru."

"Should've been pretty obvious when he showed up here with us…" She sent me a glare, and I didn't bother to even glare back. She wasn't worth my time.

"I did kill him."

"How can you say that so casually?"

Sasuke ignored her, and turned to stare at me and shark-boy. "Suigetsu, Hikari…release everyone who is held prisoner here."

"Wha-?"

Suigetsu sighed while I glared at Sasuke. "Geez…you always order people around. Well, let's go, sweet-heart."

I rolled my eyes and stood up with him, Yoru nudging my side. I patted his head and hopped onto his back, doing my very best not to punch Karin in the face as she yelled. "You can't just come here and take over! You don't know what it took to keep things in order here…"

"Does it look like we care? Not like you're gonna stay here anyway, since Sasuke will see to it that you tag along with us…"

She opened her mouth to yell something at me, but Sasuke spoke first. "Without prisoners, there won't be any need for a warden. I'll say it once more. Come with me, Karin. What'll you do?"

Suigetsu and I stood there for a moment before he picked up his blade and began to lead the way out. "Well, anyway, we'll go release the prisoners."

As we walked out, I stopped, turning to look back. I noticed the look in Karin's eyes when I had walked past her. "Um, when we come back, please be sure that you're both fully clothed. I wouldn't want to be scarred for life and I'm sure that poor Sasuke would be very trauma-"

"Hikari, go." Sasuke barked, and I smirked, closing the door and running after Suigetsu.

We reached the cells in minutes, all of the prisoners gathering around the doors as Suigetsu explained to them. In another cell, there were a bunch of women and children, all of them looking at me for a minute before I sent them all a smile and knelt down in front of the doors. "Sasuke Uchiha has ordered me and friend over there to release you all."

"Release us?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you're all free to go as soon as I get you out of here. Unfortunately, I wasn't given a key, so I'm going to need all of you stand as far back as you can." They listened to my instructions and I focused my chakra to my kunai, all of it going to the weapon before I ran across, slashing the bars. They fell apart and I directed everyone out. One little girl hugged me, thanking me for freeing them before she ran after a woman who I assumed was her mother. I smiled, feeling good about being able to set them free. As soon as Suigetsu was done with letting the others free, we went back. I grabbed the handle, only to find that it was locked. Suigetsu tried, glaring at it in frustration. "It's locked from the inside…that woman!"

I got very angry all of the sudden, and I could hear Yoru laughing at my behavior. I slammed my fist into the door, sending it flying inward. I wanted to gag when I saw Karin leaning close, too close mind you, to Sasuke. Instantly, Karin was back to the way she was when we had first met her.

Talk about bipolar…

"Let's go, Sasuke. Karin turned you down, didn't she?" Suigetsu asked, glancing at the Uchiha quizzically.

"No. It seems she's coming."

Karin fixed her glasses, blushing. "Wh-Who said I'm coming? I just…I just happened to be going in the same direction. That's all, nothing else…!"

"Oh, how nice! Then we can travel together partway."

"Yeah, just part of the way!"

Part of the way or not, she was still annoying as hell.

Suigetsu nodded, "All right…Next is Jugo."

"What? You're going to see Jugo? Are you crazy? He'll tear you to pieces!" Karin exclaimed, gaping at Sasuke.

"It really shouldn't concern you, since you're only coming part of the way."

I stifled my laughter at that, earning a glare from Karin as we all exited out of the prison and back out into the outdoors. I breathed in some fresh air, sighing in content. I was angry still, seeing as how I was being taken by force…Hm, maybe trying to escape again wouldn't hurt…

"Don't even think anymore about escaping again, Hikari."

Well, so much for that…

"We have to walk again?" Suigetsu whined, "I'm exhausted!"

"We're going to the northern hideout now. At this rate, you'll be killed the moment we get there."

"I only know it through maps…but is the place really that bad?"

"The Northern Hideout is no ordinary hideout. That place…is where human experiments are conducted. And the unmanageable monsters that result are kept locked up there."

I wasn't so sure if I wanted to go…

* * *

After about 2 hours of walking, Suigetsu sat down, taking a sip from his water bottle. "Say, aren't you tired? How about a short break?"

"You're already taking a break!" Karin screeched, glaring at the shark-boy. "You're hopeless! We've still got a ways to go 'til we reach the northern hideout!"

"My destination is different from yours. No need to bother with me. Just go on ahead."

"I remembered that I have business at the northern hideout! So I'm going to take care of that first!"

Yoru roared, Hikari rubbing her temples. "If you yell anymore while we're walking, I will let Yoru eat you."

Karin stiffened, gulping as Yoru growled at her. Sasuke allowed them to take another break, Yoru laying his head in Hikari's lap and allowing her to pet him gently. Karin began to question Hikari and Suigetsu, Hikari going second.

"Why do you follow Sasuke?"

She stared up at her. "I don't follow him, he drags me along with him…I don't even want to be here right now. That's the only reason why. Nothing more and nothing less."

Karin didn't ask her anything else, glancing over at Sasuke. "But you want me to join your team, despite knowing about Jugo?"

"What is it that is so bad about this Jugo person anyway?"

"What's wrong with…He's unstable and has a split personality, that's what's wrong with him! One minute he's sweet as a little lamb, and then the next he's a monster…" Karin shuddered and Hikari frowned.

"In other words, he's a maniac who loves to kill people." Suigetsu said.

"But to Orochimaru, Jugo's ability was enticing. He invented an enzyme based on Jugo's body fluids, which induced the same in other shinobi. That's…the curse mark. Jugo is the one and only original carrier."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Say, can we rest a bit?"

"Suigetsu! You keep stopping to rest! We're almost at the hideout! Is it the sword? Is it too heavy for you? Then leave it, damn it!"

While they bickered, Hikari stood next to Sasuke, who was completely ignoring the shark boy and red-head. Yoru lifted his nose to the air, sniffing around for a moment before growling.

'_I smell blood…'_

"Where's the guy that's on watch?" Sasuke asked Karin, who merely stared up at the watch tower with a frown on her face.

Hikari jumped off Yoru's back and moved forward, making several hand signs. Tree roots shot out from the ground, carrying her up to the tower, where she grimaced in disgust at the blood splattered all over the place.

"There's blood all over the place up here!"

"Hey…" Suigetsu said, pointing forward, where someone was walking towards them. He stopped about mid way, falling flat onto his face. Hikari gasped and jumped down from the tower, landing on both feet and running over to the fallen guard like the other were. She flipped him over onto his back carefully, checking for a pulse.

"He's still alive…"

"What happened?" Sasuke asked the man, who gave him a weak glance.

"Y-You're…Sasuke Uchiha…Help me…"

Hikari instantly began to try and heal him as he explained that everything began with the rumors of Orochimaru being dead, and that the prisoners had gone wild. He died before he could say anymore. Hikari sighed sadly, shaking her head as she laid him down.

"Oh dear…He died."

"Way to state the obvious, shark-boy." Hikari grumbled, Yoru letting off a low growl as he saw something to his left. It was some beast man, and by the look on his face, he didn't look to be very happy.

"What is that?" Suigetsu asked, Karin answering his question.

"He's already in the second stage of the curse mark."

Sasuke move forward quickly, slashing the man with his Kusangi. "Let's go and see Jugo."

0o0o0o0o0o

I wasn't really expecting to find a welcoming committee at the front doors. Well, maybe I was, but I wasn't expecting them to be all monsters. According to Karin, Jugo wasn't amongst them. While they growled at us, Yoru growled back. It looked like we would have to fight our way through.

"Just avoid killing them." Sasuke said, handing me my katana.

"You're from the Hidden Leaf, after all…You should've killed that man back there too, you know…So naïve…."

"Watch it, Shark-boy. If you say anything else about ninja from the Hidden Leaf killing without mercy, I'll kick your ass into next year."

"Yes ma'am."

"Let's go."

Instantly, I was punching back several people, kicking some here and there, nearly laughing when Suigetsu told them to stay away because they all smelt bad. I made several hand signs. "Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!"

While I had the tree roots knock several of them back, I soon found myself circled in back to back with Sasuke.

"Hn. Think that you can handle so many enemies at once?"

I smirked, tightening my grip on my katana. "Please, this is child's play. In case you didn't know, I made ANBU rank a couple of months ago. If I can get that far, then having so many enemies at once isn't a problem for me!" I punched the ground, sending all of them flying.

About 10 minutes later, we made it inside, and Karin found the keys and we walked in further, until we came to three different ways.

"Which way?"

She pointed the way out, and Suigetsu, Yoru, and I went on, Suigetsu making conversation.

"So…the curse mark really does transform the body into an ugly shape. Sasuke, does your curse mark do the same to you?" When he got no answer, we both turned around. "Sasuke…are you listen-" No Sasuke or Karin. "That bitch…"

"She kidnapped Sasuke from us! Let's go, Yoru!"

"Hey, wait-!"

With Yoru's nose, I found them quickly, Karin practically raping poor Sasuke. Both of them were standing in front of a door that had bolts all over it, along with chains. When I voiced that I was here, Karin sent me a dirty look.

I stuck my tongue out at her back when she turned back around. Before she could open the door, Sasuke moved her out of the way and did it himself. Right when it was opened just a crack, the occupant yelled.

"_BINGO! I'M GONNA KILL!"_

I watched in shock as the occupant came running out of the room, slamming Sasuke into the wall.

"**SASUKE!"**

The orange haired guy, who I assumed to be Jugo, was laughing like a maniac, Yoru growling at him. I wasn't really interested in watching, since I knew that Sasuke was strong enough to handle it. And of course, he did, half transformed. He managed to push Jugo back.

"I have no intention of fighting. I just want to talk to you, Jugo."

Jugo stood there in silence for a moment. "Talk?"

"I'm getting you out of here," Sasuke said calmly as he was returning back to his normal form.

I hadn't really noticed that Suigetsu had showed up until he started to attack Jugo.

"Hey, Jugo. Long time no see, huh?"

"Suigetsu…"

Of course, since Shark-boy seemed to love picking fights, that's exactly what he did. It pissed Sasuke off. "Stop it, both of you!" But to no avail, they didn't listen. I sighed in annoyance as Sasuke sent me a look, stepping in and making several quick hand signs. Tree roots shot out from the ground and tangled around both of them, stopping them in their tracks. Sasuke glared at them both. "Do you both… want me to kill you?" Both became shaken by his words, and when I felt them both calm down enough, I let them go. Jugo's curse mark receded, and he screamed all of the sudden, running back into his cell and slamming the door shut.

"H-Hurry up and lock me in!"

Sasuke and Suigetsu stared at the door in confusion while Karin sighed. I moved forward and opened the door a bit, peeking inside to see Jugo curled up in the corner.

"Why should we do that?" I asked as softly as possible. Karin opened up her big mouth and began to explain, only to stop when I had Yoru growl at her. Jugo peeked at me through his fingers.

"I don't want to kill anymore people. I don't want to go outside…Please, lock the door and just leave me alone, please!"

I smiled, opening the door a bit more and darting inside, avoiding the many hands that shot out to stop me. When Jugo saw me, he tried to move as far away as possible.

"No, get away! I'll hurt you!"

I shook my head, "No, you won't." I stated, crouching down a few feet away from him. He whimpered, and buried his face back into his hands. "Jugo, you're a good, correct?"

"No, I hurt people! I kill people!"

"Well, I've hurt people, too. Everyone has hurt someone in their life. But you don't want to do that. Right?"

He looked up at me. "Please, just leave me alone! I don't want to.."

"You're a very good person, Jugo. Better than any of us that are here right now. We came here because we really need your help. You're the only one that can help us."

"I'll hurt people!"

"No, you won't. Sasuke will make sure that you don't. You saw what happened when Sasuke spoke to you like that, didn't you? Your bad side went away without any problem. If you come with us, you won't have to be afraid of hurting people. Do you understand?"

He looked back up at me in surprise. "Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Mmm. Do you know who he is?" I asked, crawling forward to sit a little closer. I wasn't afraid of him, and seeing as how he was staring past me and outside at Sasuke, it was a perfect opportunity.

"Kimimaro told me about him…before he died. He said that he was important…that he would die for him."

I smiled at him as he turned his attention back to me, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"I won't have to hurt any more people?"

I shook my head and smiled at him. "No, you won't." He stared at me for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face. I carefully held my hand out to him. He stared at it for a moment, unsure if I was going to hit him or not. I sent him another reassuring smile. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Jugo. I promise. My name is Hikari, by the way." I said quietly, and smiled happily as Jugo's large hand grabbed onto mine and held it gently. I pulled him up to his feet, guiding him over to the door. I pushed it open some more, Sasuke and the others moving away from it as I came outside the room, hand in hand with Jugo. Yoru padded his way over to us and Jugo stared at him fright. I laughed slightly, sending him a reassuring smile.

"Jugo, this is my friend, Yoru. He won't hurt you, okay? I promise!"

Yoru nuzzled Jugo's side affectionately, and the large teen seemed to trust my words enough to pet Yoru.

It was the first time that Yoru allowed someone else besides me pet him.

* * *

I yawned tiredly as we stood outside the base, me Jugo on one side of me, still holding onto my hand, while Suigetsu stood on my other side and Yoru sat in front of me. Karin stood several feet away from us, as if we were the plague itself, too engrossed into staring at Sasuke as if he were the most important thing in the world.

"Now…I have all the members I had in mind. So I will tell you my goal. My goal is to kill Itachi Uchiha of the Akatsuki."

That was still the same goal. And it would never change, until he killed his brother.

I stared up at the sky, hopelessly sighing. It looked like…I wouldn't be going home after all. This sucks…

"From this point on, we move together. And henceforth, we will call ourselves…Hebi. Hebi has but one objective…Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke still loved his revenge more than me or anyone else.

* * *

**A/N: Long chappie! Well…it went well, so look forward to more. Later taters!**


	52. Art is an explosion! Literally!

**A/N: Haha, I love this story a lot :D! Okay, so enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

"I can't go on. Let's take a short break…"

The group stopped, Karin turning around and pointing a finger at Suigetsu. "Are you a river child who got stranded on land? Quit stopping to drink water so often! As long as you drag your feet like that, we'll never get there!"

"Well, pardon me. But unlike you, I have a very delicate constitution."

"Huh? Look, just evaporate, you water ghost!"

"Why don't you get lost instead? I thought you had somewhere else to go?"

Hikari laughed while Karin made a sound of frustration. Sasuke stopped and spoke up. "We're here." Up ahead, there was a small village, Hikari happily running forward a bit, recognizing the place.

"Hey! Civilization!"

That's what it looked like from far away. Her happiness was easily diminished when they entered the town, finding it practically vacant and run-down. They stopped in front of a building.

"We're here."

"What a creepy looking place." Suigetsu said, a frown etched on his face as they walked inside. "A hideout in an old ruin like this…It's news to me."

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Suigetsu. "Orochimaru has nothing to do with this. My clan used this as a weapons store. We'll be prepared for the battle that will be fought here."

Suigetsu frowned. "The passageways look so similar, it's easy to get lost in here."

"But what a depressing place. It stifles my breath." Karin said, staring around in distaste.

"Sorry if it's depressing here."

Hikari jumped in surprise, turning around like everyone else did. "It's been a long time, Denka and Hina."

Two cats stood before the group, smiling. "It's young Sasuke, after all…Oh, and he brought Hikari with him!" Denka exclaimed, Hikari waving at him.

"What's your business here?" Hina asked.

"Weapons and medicine…and various other things. We're preparing for battle." Sasuke explained to the two cats, Suigetsu walking forward.

"Oh, a talking raccoon dog?" He knelt down in front of them and put his hand out to them. "Hey, come over here."

Denka hissed, trying to bite the shark-boy's hand, Suigetsu pulling it away just in time, while Hikari laughed.

"They're ninja cats. Don't approach them carelessly." Sasuke told him, sending him a warning look. "They'll tear you apart."

"You should warn us about stuff like that from beginning…"

"Did you bring us a present?" Hina asked, a hopeful look on her face

Sasuke pulled out a red bottle, "Here…a bottle of catnip." Hina leaped up and grabbed in its mouth, thanking Sasuke, while Denka moved forward.

"Follow me. I'll take you to granny cat."

0o0o0o0o0o

"I owe you, Granny cat." Sasuke said, while I greeted several of the cats with scratches behind their heads. It seemed like it was just yesterday when we had been here as a team, trying to get Nekomata's paw print. Memories…

"It's been so long since I've seen you, but you're in such a hurry."

"Yeah…I have something important to do."

Suigetsu was busy making sure that several cat's weren't ninja cats, Karin was trying to keep here distance, poor Yoru was being swarmed by a group of cats, and Tamaki and I were trying to fit Jugo into some suitable clothes.

"Even this one is too small." Tamaki complained, Jugo apologizing for his large size. I handed her another shirt. Of course, that one didn't fit either. Tamaki looked over at Granny cat. "Granny, don't we have something bigger for him to wear?"

"In that box over there!"

"Nothing fits."

"Then just wrap that curtain around him! I don't run a clothing store."

"Granny! What a rude thing to say, considering he paid us!"

Jugo grabbed the curtain and wrapped it around himself, turning to look at me. I nodded, sending an approving smile. He smiled to himself. "Fine."

'_Gah, Hikari! Get them off of me!'_

I giggled as I saw all the cats laying on top of Yoru, moving over and shooing them off. "Sorry, guys, but Yoru likes his personal space."

We said our goodbyes, and were given cloaks to keep the rain that was now falling from drenching us all completely. We stood on a hill, Sasuke in the front.

"Let's go."

0o0o0o0o0o

"I'm going." Suigetsu announced.

"Itachi Uchiha, eh? I hope we can find him." Jugo said, both he and Suigetsu departing quickly, leaving Sasuke, Hikari, and Karin behind. Karin turned her back to them.

"All right!" Instantly, her glasses were gone, and she had latched herself onto Sasuke. "Sa-su-ke! I'm staying with you!"

"You too. Get going."

Hikari slapped a hand over her mouth to hold in her laughter, letting it out as soon as Karin was gone. "Well, I guess that we'll be-"

"You're coming with me."

She stared at him in surprise. "What? Why?"

"You might try to escape again."

'_And to think that he used to completely trust me…'_

"Fine. Let's not dawdle, then."

Sasuke nodded, leading the way. It was quiet as they walked, until Yoru let out a low growl.

'_Someone is following us, Hikari. The scent is familiar, too.'_

Sasuke stopped all the sudden, Hikari running into him. Sasuke turned around. "Show yourself…who are you?"

Someone walked out from the trees, and Yoru growled loudly at them. Hikari moved to stand behind Sasuke. _'Not them again…'_

"So, you're Sasuke…You really do look like Itachi!" Sasuke glared, and Tobi moved away hurriedly. "S-scary!"

"Sasuke, above us!"

Sasuke looked up, grabbing Hikari and making several quick hand signs as two clay birds hit them and exploded. Deidara smirked at his work. "We did it! We brought down Sasuke!"

"As expected, Senpai!" Tobi exclaimed, walking over to stand next to Deidara. The smoke cleared to reveal a large snake that was covered in soot and burn marks all over its white body. Hikari frowned at the enemy while Sasuke glared, his Sharingan activated. Tobi made a sound of surprise. "As expected, senpai."

"Shut-up!"

Sasuke dismissed the snake, and Hikari had Yoru head off.

"Tobi, look at how he's glaring at us! Humph! Once we're done with him, we can try getting her again!"

Hikari cowered back some more and Tobi spoke up. "You're raring to go, eh Senpai? You'll have to apologize to Itachi later."

_**Clash; Sasuke and Hikari VS Deidara and Tobi!**_

"Where is Itachi Uchiha?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me, and I'll let you go."

Deidara made a sound of frustration. "Sharingan, eh? He really is Itachi's little brother. You were only able to kill Orochimaru thanks to your Uchiha blood. You're nothing but a fool blessed with good genes!"

"You shouldn't have said that…" Hikari sing-songed. Deidara frowned, and before he could even blink, Sasuke was in front of him, Kusangi drawn. He hit Tobi, Deidara jumping back into the trees before he could get hit. Sasuke glared up at the blonde.

"One down. So I'll ask you, the one with the big mouth, about Itachi."

Tobi sat up, and Deidara yelled down to him. "What're you doing, Tobi? Don't let your guard down just because he's a kid!"

"His teleportation jutsu is too quick! We're no match for him!"

"Tobi! Stay back!" Tobi took off at that, and Hikari's eyes widened as she saw Deidara throw a bunch of little clay explosives. Sasuke sent a bunch of Chidori needles at the little bug bombs, pinning them to the tree. Some landed around Tobi, sending him into a panic.

"S-Senpai! Time out! Don't do it!" Deidara scoffed, and Tobi began to yell again. "Senpai! Behind you, behind you!" Sasuke came flying down, and Deidara threw a little explosive at the last minute, the thing exploding. Tobi cried in sadness. "Senpai!" Hikari stared at him as he wiped his eyes. "He was a strict senpai, but a good partner…I shall never forget about you, Deidara-Senpai-!"

Deidara skidded to a stop in front of him. "Will you shut-up?"

"Oh, you're alive?"

Hikari ran over to Sasuke as he landed on the ground. "These guys…The blonde one is able to create explosives out of clay…I don't know about the other one, though…"

Sasuke studied Deidara carefully. _'The ability to produce explosives with his palm, huh?'_

Two clay figures appeared, making their way towards Sasuke and Hikari. Deidara smirked. "I'll play with you two a bit more!"

"Child's play?"

"Don't underestimate your enemy until you see their full extent, Sasuke." Hikari muttered, popping her knuckles and getting into a stance.

"Hn. So stupid." He pierced the clay creature with his Kusangi, grunting in surprise when it moved away from him, his Kusangi still stuck in it. He ducked as the other figure tried to hit him, Hikari kicking one, her foot getting stuck. Sasuke used the Chidori to slice them in half, freeing Hikari's foot. She watched in surprise as the clay creature remade itself and two more. Each time the Uchiha would cut one in half, the more figures would appear. Sasuke's eyes darted to each one as they circled him and Hikari in. As they exploded, Sasuke grabbed Hikari and pulled her with him up to the nearest tree branch. Tobi nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"Hey…"

The clay figures went after them, the two jumping back as one hit the branch that they had been standing exploded. As they ran, the more clay figures came after them, exploding the trees. Sasuke cut several nearby trees with his Kusangi. It seemed to work, until one wrapped around Sasuke's ankle. The rest tackled him and Hikari, consuming them completely before exploding.

"How about that?" Deidara asked, Tobi staring in awe.

"Oh…"

"He's not much, after all…"

Two logs flying out from the smoke and onto the ground caused the bomber to frown, the frown deepening as Hikari and Sasuke landed several feet away. Tobi nodded.

"I knew it!"

Deidara stared at him angrily. "Hey, Tobi! Whose side are you on anyway?" Deidara pulled more clay out, squishing it down, Tobi staring at the new creation in surprise.

"Th-That's…!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Oh, great…that damn clay dragon again.

"Ta-daa! One of Senpai's signature art pieces, the C2 Dragon!"

Deidara hopped onto the dragons head and a bunch of little clay balls that resembled beach balls came out of the dragons mouth, the thing belching once it had spit up all of them. It was gross, if you ask me…

"That thing…Is used for sky attacks." I informed Sasuke, who ran forward to try and attack. Another clay dragon came flying out of the first ones mouth, Sasuke dodging it. It came up from behind him and exploded, sending him flying. This wasn't going to end well… "Godaigon!"

Another clay dragon came flying out of the first ones mouth, Sasuke jumping back, another explosion happening as soon as he stepped on the ground. I coughed as the smoke blew around, covering my mouth. As soon as it had cleared, I could see that Sasuke had transformed. Tobi popped out from the ground several feet away from me.

"Senpai! All the land mine clay is set and ready to go!"

I gasped as an even bigger dragon came flying out of the original ones mouth, hitting Sasuke dead on and exploding. Sasuke's Kusangi came flying out from the smoke, landing right next to me. Sasuke came flying out and landed right on top of the stuck blade, jumping back up, Chidori readied. He cut off one of the dragons wings, sending the large clay dragon and Deidara flying, two large Shuriken flying up and pinning him down. As soon as the dragon hit the ground, the land mines below exploded. I couldn't really see anything with all the smoke, but I felt someone grab me quickly and pull me up into a tree. I was coughing like a maniac, and my eyes were all watery. Sasuke transformed back to normal, and I looked at him, checking to see if there were any visible injuries, which there weren't.

"Are you okay?"

I was a bit surprised by the question, though I decided against speaking, since I was coughing to death, settling with a nod. Deidara came flying out of the smoke and Sasuke glared up at him.

"What a stubborn…"

"Bastard?" I voiced, Sasuke nodding. "What do we do now?"

All the sudden, Deidara began to eat the clay, making a hand sign. "I saved the best for last! I'll kill you with this!" And then he started to…throw up the clay…And it started to form into some type of large figure…and when it was done, I was in shock.

"I-It's a larger version of him…" I felt myself instantly move backwards a bit as the giant Deidara stared down at us. It moved forward and Sasuke grabbed me, dragging me along with him as we ran from it. I stared back at it, my eyes widening as I saw it following us. "It's coming after us!" And then it began to misfired all the sudden…at least, that's what I thought it was doing...

"Art is an explosion!"

"Run…"

And I ran like I had been told to, not once stopping. Sasuke could manage, and I knew that. When I felt like it was safe enough, I stopped, just outside of the forest. Before I could really understand what was going on, the whole forest exploded, a bright light forming….and then…everything was gone. I was aware of Yoru calling out to me as he ran towards me, but everything else…I ignored. As soon as it had died down, I ran down to the river, and found Suigetsu and a large snake, while Sasuke was on the ground.

"Whoa, you're a mess!" Suigetsu exclaimed, grunting as I pushed past him to get to Sasuke. I knelt down in front of him, glancing at all the injuries.

"You're lucky you had that stupid snake, otherwise you'd be dead already!" I grumbled, pulling out my bag of medical supplies, looking over at Yoru, who was standing next to Jugo, who I realized had shown up with Karin. "Yoru, go with Karin and Jugo to find some herbs."

Karin sent me a glare. "What makes you think that I'll-"

"Because if you don't, Sasuke might die, and if that happens because you wouldn't do as I instructed, I will let Yoru eat you, and I will not stop him from doing so, do you understand? Now, go! Jugo, please see to it that you gather as many herbs as you can, please."

He smiled, nodding, walking off with a grumbling Karin and a somewhat happy Yoru.

"What do I do, beautiful?" Suigetsu asked.

"Help me carry him into town. There's got to be an inn there where we can patch him up."

"You got it."

Sasuke grunted in pain as we lifted him up, carefully walking him back into town. Jugo, Karin, and Yoru came back a couple of hours later, bag's full of herbs with them. I nodded in approval as Jugo showed them to me before glancing back at Karin.

"Cherry top, I need you to boil these. Suigetsu, make sure she doesn't screw it up. Jugo, you can help me bandage Sasuke up as soon as I heal most of the wounds." I explained, my hands glowing with chakra as I healed the most painful looking wounds. As soon as that was done, Karin brought me the boiled herbs, which I went to the trouble mashing up carefully, and rubbing on open wounded cuts. I cleaned up a cut on Sasuke's face, placing a large bandage on it. Jugo went to bandaging Sasuke's torso while I bandaged his head up.

"Hah! You talked about killing Itachi…You won't be able to move around for some time in that condition!"

"We've been moving non-stop lately. It's a good chance to rest up." Suigetsu stated.

Karin pointed at him accusingly. "All you've done is rest, you feeble punk!"

I ignored them, rubbing my temples as Jugo was done bandaging Sasuke up. My headache grew by the second, and finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and grabbed Karin and Suigetsu, sending them death glares.

"Listen, I'm tired, everything hurts, and I have headache. For the courtesy of those that are injured and in pain, shut the fuck up right now, or I will personally kick both of your asses into next year! **OR MAYBE INTO THE NEXT CENTURY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" **I let them go and walked into the bathroom, being sure to the slam the door extra hard.

I needed a long hot bath…

* * *

**A/N: This would've gone better, but I've been home sick all day today. I seem to have contracted a stomach virus, so yuck D:! It really isn't fun throwing up….Anyway, later taters!**


	53. Closer!

**A/N: ACHOO! ACHOO! AAAACCCCHHOOOO! Ugh…**

**Sasuke: Are…you okay?**

**Oh, yeah, just peachy! Yeah, I'm just sitting in bed, surviving off a box of tissues, and crackers and water! Yeah, Sasuke, I'm fine! JUST FINE!**

**Sasuke: Oh, well that's-**

**Terrible! I'm dying! Ugh, I sound like a boy going through puberty…My voice sounds terrible…Ugh, anyway, this chapter may or not be so great, seeing as how I'm sort of dying…eh, enjoy! Um, disclaimer! Someone…Anyone…Ah, to hell with it…**

* * *

I'm gone for maybe 10 minutes, and what do I come back out to find? Suigetsu and Karin struggling to hold Jugo back.

"Shoot! Jugo's killing impulse is lose!"

"Sasuke! Hurry it-!"

"Calm down, Jugo." Sasuke used his Sharingan and instantly, Jugo's curse mark receded, and he fell to the ground on his hands and knees.

"S-Sorry…"

I sighed softly, glancing over at Sasuke. I let a small smile make its way onto my face when I saw that he had fallen asleep sitting up. I walked over to him and knelt down next to him, carefully laying him down and covering him up. "All he needs now is some rest. Karin, go and get some supplies from town."

She gave me a glare, "Since when do you boss-"

"Yoru is hungry right now, and I'm sure you'd make a delightful snack for him!"

She left right away, leaving me and the others to watch over Sasuke.

* * *

About 2 hours later, Suigetsu got up to go find Karin when she didn't come back. Right when he was opening the door, Karin kicked it down, causing it to fall on top of Suigetsu, causing all the birds that were perched on Jugo's shoulder to fly away.

"Wake up, Sasuke! We're going to have company! What do we do?"

"We escape…Get ready. Jugo, mark every Akatsuki hideout that we know."

"Right."

We all left him alone, and when he came back outside, he was wearing different clothes.

"You're okay now, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked, frowning slightly.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. I've been healing a lot faster since I absorbed Orochimaru's power."

I frowned. I didn't really know the full extent of what had gone down between the Uchiha and Snake Sannin, but now, I was a bit upset that Sasuke had done such a stupid thing. I'm sure that he didn't know what could go wrong.

And I'm pretty sure that I don't want to ever see or find out…

"Whether it's the Akatsuki or the Hidden Leaf, they might have information on Itachi. So, why don't we ambush them, Sasuke?" Karin asked, piquing my interest at the mention of the Leaf Village.

"From what you reported about the number of people, it's most likely the Hidden Leaf. Akatsuki always work in two-man cells."

"Which means an ambush would be a waste of time." Suigetsu said.

"Exactly. Forget the Hidden Leaf."

I stared down at the ground sadly, playing with Sasuke's headband that was hanging from my hip, tracing the Leaf symbol, along with the scratch across it. I wanted to go home, which was why I was hoping we would ambush. I could get away and return back to the village, but some things are too good to be true, I suppose…

"Then what'll we do?"

"Itachi is our only priority. Once we locate him, worse comes to worst, you four must stop the hidden leaf. From now on, team "Hebi" will use the information gathered by Jugo, and check out Akatsuki hideouts one by one. Let's go."

As he began to walk away, I stopped him. "I refuse."

That stopped him. "What was that?"

"I will not stop the Hidden Leaf. I will not betray my own village and friends just so you can achieve your goal." I could feel him glaring holes into the back of my head, but I kept my back to him. "Glare all you want, but I'm not going anywhere else with you. I'd rather remain loyal to my home and my friends."

He came up behind me and grabbed me, snatching my own headband that was wrapped around my arm, ripping it away from me and pulling out a kunai, scratching it across the metal. I made the move to elbow him, but he stopped me with ease, throwing my headband off into some nearby bushes. "Your loyalty to that weak village means nothing to me, nor does it mean anything to anyone else. No matter how many times you struggle and fight me, you're not going anywhere, Hikari." He tied my hands up, and I stared down at the ground sadly. "Now that you're done wasting my time, let's go."

There was no longer any point in trying to leave. I was stuck in a big mess. I was a traitor to my own village now…

While Sasuke was slowly getting closer his goal, I was steadily getting farther away from home.

It was tough to see it now….

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_You've gotta be extra careful_

_With things closest and dearest to you _

_You know the closer you get to something_

_The tougher it is to see it_

_Explain to me this happiness_

_That you just got to experience_

_Or maybe you're so blessed_

_That you can't even remember?_

_That you stand here now_

_That you live and breathe_

_They're all little miracles_

_Just by themselves_

_You've gotta be extra careful _

_With the things closest and dearest to you_

_You know the closer you to something_

_The tougher it is to see it_

_**You know the closer you get to something**_

_**The tougher it is to see it**_

_And I'll never take it for granted_

_It's fine to say "never give up"_

_Say "keep on chasing your dreams"_

_But the more time you spend talking big_

_The less you get done with your life_

_I'll let that handful of courage in my heart_

_Help me survive another day_

_And I'll never take I for granted_

_**LET'S GO!**_

* * *

"I don't see what the point in bringing me along with you was. The others would've made sure I didn't try to sneak off anywhere…"

"Hn. You would've found a way…"

Hikari sighed as she was dragged along, Yoru following right beside her. They were inside some sort of cave, and Hikari disliked it greatly. It was dark, cold, and very wet, not appealing to her whatsoever.

"So, you've come."

Sasuke stopping caused Hikari to run into his back. Yoru let off a growl while Sasuke frowned at the darkness, a silhouette visible. "Who's there?"

"It's me…Sasuke."

Sasuke's heartbeat quickened as he saw Itachi standing before him, a crow perched on his shoulder. Hikari could feel the tension in the air, pushing down onto her as if it were trying to bury everything it could alive. It was terrible.

"You've gotten a bit taller." Itachi commented.

"And you're still the same. Even those cold eyes…"

"Not going to scream and attack like you did before?"

Hikari mentally winced as the memory reappeared in her head. That experience was terrible, and she never wanted to watch someone hurt Sasuke while she was helpless ever again.

"You don't know a thing about me…" Sasuke said, moving fast so he was standing behind Itachi. He made a Chidori blade, piercing it through Itachi's back, the crow that been perched on the older Uchiha's shoulder flying off. "How much hatred I carry inside me…And how I have become strong because of that hatred. You don't know me at all."

Hikari couldn't help but grimace as Itachi's blood splattered on the ground. _'This hatred that he holds in him is what has made him lost in darkness…' _Itachi's body fell the ground and he looked over at Sasuke.

"You've become…strong." And all the sudden, his body turned into a bunch of crows. Itachi's voice echoed through the cave. "Come to the Uchiha hideout. I'll let you settle things there."

Hikari opened her palm, a single black feather landing in the center of it. "Sasuke!" Hikari turned to see Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin running towards them, Sasuke glaring at them.

"I told you not to move until you received orders."

They stopped and Suigetsu smirked. "Karin said she sensed another chakra, so we were worried."

Karin frowned as she noticed all the black feathers falling around. "Feathers?"

Hikari had been so distracted, that she nearly fell over as Sasuke began to drag her along again. "Follow me. Let's go!"

This was the beginning…

* * *

**A/N: Bleh, boring, boring, boring! Nothing cool happened at all T-T!**

**Hikari: But, cool stuff will happen next chapter, right?**

**Sure, but…AW, I'M OUT OF TISSUES! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Hikari: Well, while twilight goes and raids the rest of her house for a box of tissues, leave a review and tells us what you'd like to see next chapter! Also, if you guys have any questions, feel free to ask them. Twilight will be more than happy to answer them. LATER TATERS!**


	54. Sign Itachi's truth and Hikari's promise

**A/N: So…I have a question for you all…*blows nose in tissue* Which Naruto opening is your favorite? I have 6. Blue Bird, Closer, and Sign are my Shippuden favorites and Go, Haruka Kanata, and Namikaze satellite are my Naruto favorites. So, tell me which one's are your favorites! Okay, so this chapter…You should really listen to opening six, sign, since it's the theme song for this chapter, and it really represents the relationship between Sasuke and Itachi, and also if you listen closely, you can sort of see Hikari and Sasuke's relationship, or basically Hikari's feelings…Yeah…That's my opinion, at least. So, enjoy this dramatic chapter! We will always love you, Itachi! No matter what horrible things you did! So, if I screw up this chapter with the Uchiha history, then I sincerely apologize. I did my research, but I'm not quite sure if it's all correct, so sorry ahead of time. Enjoy anyway!**

* * *

Tsunade sipped her cup of Sake quietly, letting out a content sigh. It was very peaceful in the village, though the events that were playing in the outside world unnerved her slightly. It had been about 2 weeks ago that Konohamaru had told her that Hikari had sent a letter. Tsunade had sent a letter back the day that one letter had come, and normally, Hikari was a quick one to reply.

She never received one.

Shizune came running in, a frantic and upset look on her face. "Lady Tsunade, we've received word from the platoon you recently sent out. It's about Hikari…"

Tsunade frowned. "What about her?"

"…She's traveling with Sasuke."

Tsunade dropped her cup of sake, the thing spilling all over the floor. She wasn't one about to assume, but eventually, the elders would find out and mark Hikari as a rouge shinobi.

That's why Tsunade decided she would find out everything she could before it was too late.

* * *

"The same chakra is all over the place! What's going on?"

Suigetsu gave Karin a side glance before turning his attention back to their leader. "Should we change course, Sasuke?"

"Ignore it. We'll forge straight ahead."

Suigetsu let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Taking the long way would've been tiring."

All the sudden, Naruto was in front of them, an angry look on his face. As his gaze landed on Hikari, his eyes widened before he let out a growl. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke easily ridded of the shadow clone with his Chidori, continuing on with his team. They began to run along a roof top, and Karin's eyes widened. "A humongous chakra! And it's fast! Incoming!" they stopped as a cloaked figure with a large sword jumped a few feet in front of them. Hikari's eyes widened as she recognized him, and Suigetsu's eyes narrowed.

"You're-!"

"Only Sasuke may go beyond this point. It's Itachi's orders. The rest of you are welcome to wait here." Kisame explained.

Sasuke's grip on the rope that he had tied to Hikari tightened. A tiny little voice inside his head told him that if he were to take Hikari with him, she would be useful, but another part of his head said that she would just be in the way.

Although Sasuke wouldn't admit it to himself, he only wanted her with him so she wouldn't try to leave. He glanced over his shoulder to find her staring ahead at Kisame with a frown, only to have it disappear as she felt Sasuke's eyes on her. As he studied her face, he saw the 13 year old Genin that she had once been for a moment. She stared at him blankly for a moment, before letting a small little smile grace her face. But it didn't reach her eyes. Those depthless, never ending caramel colored orbs…The look in her eyes was one of betrayal, resentment, and…sadness. Sasuke mentally sighed. It was understandable that she was angry with him. He knew that she would be angry with him for a long time for all the things he had done to hurt her. He broke her heart, giving her answers that she had not wanted to hear.

"_Sasuke, do you…do you love me."_

"_**No."**_

A tiny part of Sasuke still hated himself for ever denying that. He wanted to tell Hikari that he did love her. He really did. And as he told himself this, a picture of Itachi flashed through his head, any other thought outside of his revenge disappearing.

Except for that one little picture of Hikari's smiling face.

Sasuke untied Hikari, watching her as she rubbed her nearly raw wrists. She glanced up at Sasuke, reaching up to remove the bandage around his head, only to have him grab her harm. He stared into those caramel orbs, shaking his head.

"Leave it." He didn't want what she had given him to go away just yet. Removing the bandage wrapped around the wound that was long since healed was like ripping her and her love away completely. Sasuke didn't want that to happen. He didn't want the warmth of that love to disappear on him.

Even if he didn't deserve that love anymore, he would cherish what little love she gave him, even if it meant clinging onto a stupid bandage.

"Listen, don't die, okay? I'd rather that you retreat from Itachi than lose your life, Sasuke. Promise me you won't die."

He hadn't seen Hikari like this in a long time. He could clearly see the betrayal and hurt in her eyes, but her wish for him to be safe was sincere.

He couldn't help it. He nodded. "I promise." He moved away, his hand slipping down Hikari's arm slowly and gently, until their fingertips were touching. And then, his hand was gone from hers, and he was gone as well. All the sudden, Kisame and Suigetsu were clashing blades, Hikari not really finding it in her to care or watch. She wanted to tear her hair out, she was so anxious. Hadn't she wanted to get away from Sasuke and return home? Yes.

Did she want to beat Sasuke up?

Yes?

Did she still love the Uchiha?

Yes.

'_Wait, what? No, no, no, no! NO! He's the enemy now…but…aren't I as well?' _

That's when she realized something completely awful to her.

She did still love him. And that's why she was still here. Because of this love she had for him. She loved him and she had never stopped loving him, even though he had rejected her. But just because she still loved him, that didn't mean she wasn't still angry or resentful at him. He broke her heart, made it wither away into bits of dust…She clutched his old headband tightly.

But despite that, she did indeed still love him.

* * *

_I realize the screaming pain_

_hearing loud in my brain_

_But I'm going straight ahead_

_With this scar_

_Can you hear me_

_Can you hear me_

_Can you hear me, so am I_

_I don't mind if you don't remember_

_All the feelings that we used to share_

_For I've sealed away my heart into the darkness_

_It's just fine if you end up hurting me_

_'cause I don't feel pain anymore_

_I just drag my feet behind me_

_Towards what's held in store_

_I had been led astray_

_With no hope to be found_

_My heart withered away_

_And I fell to the ground_

_Then I heard a voice within the blowing of the wind_

_Please let me show you the pain_

_My scars have made me obtain_

_Before the weight of the world_

_Comes crashing down on my shoulders_

_Do you remember the time_

_Our tears fell down from the sky_

_Someday soon when I'm gone_

_Never think that I'll neglect you_

_For the pain that I've_

_Sealed away in your heart will protect you_

* * *

"_Ne, Sasuke! Why do you always practice your shuriken jutsu?"_

_Sasuke looked over at Hikari, a determined smile on his face. "Because, I wanna do it as good as my big brother. I if I can, then father will acknowledge me!"_

"_But…wouldn't you rather do something that your brother can't so your dad acknowledges you?" Hikari asked, watching as Sasuke threw another kunai knife at the target on the tree._

"_My brother can do everything. I can only try and catch up to him."_

"_But it's getting late. Look, the sun's already going down! Don't you want to be home in time for dinner?"_

"_Hikari!" _

_Both children turned to see Kaori waving over, Konohamaru in her arms. _

"_Oh, mother!"_

"_It's time to come home for dinner!"_

_Hikari nodded. "Yes ma'am! Sorry, Sasuke, but I have to go. See you tomorrow!"_

_**Foolish little brother…**_

"_It's a lie! This isn't like you, Big Brother…It can't be…!"_

"_I acted like the older brother you desired…in order to measure your vessel. You will become a rival to measure my vessel against…You have that hidden potential. You've been jealous of me and resented me. You've harbored hopes of surpassing me. That is why I am allowing you to live. For my sake…Like me, you will awaken the powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan. However, on one condition…You must take the life…of your best friend! As I did…"_

"_Then…you…You killed Shisui?"_

"_As a result, I possess this "eye." In the main hall in Nakano shrine, beneath the seventh tatami mat from the inner right side is the clans hidden meeting room. There, you will find a record of the clan's hidden visual jutsu and its true purpose."_

_**If you wish to kill me, resent me, hate me, and survive…in obscurity. Run…keep running…and cling to life. Then one day, come before me with the same eye that I possess.**_

"That Sharingan…How much can you actually see?" Itachi asked as Sasuke set foot into the old Uchiha base.

"How much can I see with these? What I'm seeing right now, Itachi…Is your death."

Itachi had an unusually calm expression on his face, his eyes closing as he contemplated the words his brother spoke. "My death, huh? Well then…" He moved fast, and he was next to Sasuke in an instant. _"make it happen." _Itachi blocked the attack Sasuke sent with ease, Sasuke's eyes narrowing dangerously. "You still don't possess the same eyes as I have. You haven't killed your best friend. Naruto Uzumaki…Unless…" Itachi's eyes held a gleam in them. "…Naruto is no longer the most precious person to you."

Sasuke's eyes slightly widened for a mere second before regaining his composure, but Itachi managed to kick him back. He chuckled slightly as Sasuke sat up and wiped the blood from his lip. "You've always been so easy to read, Sasuke. Now…how important is she to you? That girl from two years ago that tried to stop me from killing you?"

Sasuke held back the growl that was threatening to come from his mouth as Itachi smirked at him, remembering how he had dragged Hikari into that whole mess.

"Is she more of a friend that is like a sister you never had, or…a lover?"

Sasuke lunged forward again, Itachi catching him and throwing him off to the side.

"I guessed as much. Now, why haven't you killed her yet? If you did kill her, you would gain the same eyes that I have. Why didn't you choose to do so?"

Sasuke's chakra spiked in anger, Itachi smiling slightly at his reaction. "I'm not like you. I don't need to sink as low as you did to get stronger. I can grow stronger than you with my hatred and vengeance!"

Itachi smiled. "What about the anger you feel when the most precious person to you is no longer in this world?" Sasuke's reaction was one Itachi realized he could feed off of. "Caramel colored eyes, brown hair. Her name is Hikari, isn't it? Such a pretty name. If I remember correctly, it means light…"

Sasuke's grip on the handle of his Kusangi tightened. "What the hell are you getting at?"

"You really haven't figured it out? I thought you were more bright, Sasuke. It's actually very simple. I killed her. You loved her too, didn't you? A foolish mistake indeed."

"Shut-up!" He managed to hit Itachi with his Chidori stream, only to find that the Itachi he had just hit was a fake. The real one was behind him, seated on that throne still. Sasuke easily cast a genjutsu of his own so that he could sneak behind and hit Itachi.

"You have gotten stronger, Sasuke…but is that only because I took away the most precious thing from you?"

Itachi coughed up some blood as Sasuke pierced his Kusangi through his back, purposely missing the vital spots. Sasuke was blinded by anger, rage, and pain. Never again would Hikari's smile grace itself to the world or him.

He would never get to see those smiling caramel colored orbs again…

"You're sharp…Sasuke." Itachi coughed out, blood dripping from the blade that had stabbed him.

"You said there were only three known holders of the Mangekyo Sharingan…You couldn't have taken down the police force all on your own. Who is the other person?"

Itachi smiled at the question.

"Madara Uchiha…."

* * *

I was dreaming, and I could feel that I was. I don't exactly remember falling asleep, but…I was right now.

Funny thing is, I'm not alone in this dream…Because the older version of Sasuke is in this dream, too.

Itachi Uchiha was standing right before my eyes, staring at me with a frown.

"Aren't you going to attack me?"

I shrugged my shoulders, shaking my head. "It would be sort of pointless to do that, seeing as how this is just a dream, right?"

He smiled slightly. "Hm, I suppose. You're very smart, Hikari. I'm here because I just wish to talk with you. I have no intention of hurting you."

"And why should I believe a word you say? You're an S-Ranked criminal…You killed your whole clan and your family…" I growled out, clenching my fists.

"You love Sasuke, yes? If you do, then you will listen to what I have to say. There is a man that wishes to use Sasuke and manipulate him for their own reasons, and I know that you are the only one who has any ounce of influence on my brother. If anyone can get him to stay away from this man, it's you. Before I say anymore about this person, I'd like to share the truth about the Uchiha Massacre and Konoha. And what I am about to tell you is the complete and absolute truth. It is true that I did kill my entire clan…But it wasn't for the reason that everyone believes to this day. You see, I wanted the Uchiha clan to live in peace, but unfortunately, they had other ideas in store. Sixteen years ago, when the Nine-tailed fox attacked Konoha, fingers were pointed at the Uchiha Clan."

I frowned at that. "But why would they blame your clan?"

"Because…our Sharingan is capable of controlling the Nine-Tails. The Konoha Elders suspected our clan to be responsible for the attack, which led to our clan being moved to a distant corner of the village where our clan could be watched. Because of that, the rebellion within the clan began to grow. I was placed into ANBU, and made as a spy so I could report the rebellions progress to the elders and the Third Hokage. It was then decided that the only way to prevent another war would be to eliminate the threat."

I wasn't believing it. "Just a second! The Third Hokage would have never agreed that an entire clan should've been killed just to prevent a war! My grandfather would never-"

"The Third Hokage was against it. It was the council members that all agreed that the Uchiha clan should be killed off. I was the only one who could do that task. Because of my mission, I would also have to betray the village as a result. And I accepted the fact that I could never return."

I felt my eyes water up a bit slightly, but I held back the tears. The look in his eyes told me that he was indeed telling the whole truth. He wasn't lying in the least. He had been forced to kill his clan and betray the Leaf. And it was all because of the damn elders! Those old geezers caused more problems than the ones they're always trying to fix! What they had done…it was unforgivable and disgusting.

"The man you spoke of earlier…who is he?"

"His name is Madara Uchiha….and he's held a grudge against the Uchiha clan for a very long time. As you may know, Konoha was founded by two clans: The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. During this time, Madara was the leader of the Uchiha. He wanted the Uchiha and Senju to fight for supremacy. The leader of the Senju clan, Hashirama Senju, who become the First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, approached the Uchiha clan with a peace offering. Since the rest of the Uchiha clan wished for the fighting to stop, Madara had to agree. And against Madara's wishes, Hashirama was selected by the villagers as the First Hokage. In fears that Hashirama would oppress the Uchiha, Madara tried to rally for support for challenging his leadership. But instead of helping him, the Uchiha turned their backs on him, believing that he only desired more power. Madara abandoned the clan and Konoha as a result."

"He wanted to get revenge by helping with their deaths…"

Itachi nodded, confirming I had been correct. "I found Madara before anyone else did, and I convinced him to spare the village in exchange for helping to wipe out the Uchiha clan for deserting him decades earlier. But I never fully trusted Madara. When he created the Akatsuki, I joined in order to keep an eye on him."

"So, he's the founder of the Akatsuki? I can understand you wanting him to keep an eye on him to ensure the village's safety, but there's another reason, isn't there? You were afraid that he would go after Sasuke, weren't you? If you feared that, then why did you spare him?"

Itachi let a small smile crawl up his face. "I couldn't kill my only brother. Everything I did, I did for him. Not for the Uchiha clan and not for the Hidden Leaf Village. Everything I did was all for Sasuke. Madara wants to use Sasuke to destroy the Leaf because of the grudge he still holds towards the village and the Senju clan. He wants to control everything. He wants to start another war so he can gain control of the world. He will try and start the Fourth Great Shinobi War. He will manipulate Sasuke into believing that the Leaf is to blame, and that the only way to settle his revenge is to destroy it and burn it to the ground. This is where your role comes into play."

I pointed to myself, arching an eyebrow. "Me? How so?"

"Like I mentioned earlier, you're probably the only person who holds any ounce of influence over Sasuke. He will listen to you. You are the Honorable Granddaughter Hikari Sarutobi of the Honorable Third Hokage. Even though I left, I still love the village as much as you love it…That is why you cannot allow my brother to destroy it. You mustn't let that happen. Promise me that you will take care of him once I am gone and see to it that this doesn't happen."

I stared at him, tears already streaming down my cheeks. "You've been looked at as a traitor and a ruthless murderer for so long, when…you were only trying to protect your home. What all those people say about you being a disgrace and a monster…they're not true. You're something better than that."

"Exactly what?"

I smiled. "You're an Honorable Shinobi, Itachi Uchiha. I am honored to be able to speak with you like this. I promise that I will not allow the events that you have explained to me to occur. You have my word. I'm sorry for everything that you have suffered through."

"Thank you, Hikari. It's nice to know that at least one person cares." He began to walk away, into a bright light. "Goodbye, Hikari Sarutobi. Take care of Sasuke for me…because he needs someone to love him as much as you do." He smiled a genuine smile, before disappearing into the light.

I closed my eyes. _'No, thank you, Itachi…If it weren't for your kind heart, I wouldn't have Sasuke.'_

I shot up as I heard thunder across the sky, my attention turning to the direction where Sasuke had gone hours earlier. It was coming…

The sign that the end was near…

* * *

Sasuke watched with wide and fearful eyes as his back was pressed against what used to be the wall. Itachi was reaching out for him, to bloody fingers extended. Itachi reached him, and gave him a sharp poke on the forehead, and the fear instantly went away as Itachi smiled at the younger sibling.

"Sorry, Sasuke…This is the last time."

And with those last words, Itachi Uchiha's hand slid down Sasuke's face, leaving a trail of blood. He hit the wall, falling backwards onto his back. Sasuke panted heavily, not looking down at his dead brother.

It was over. Itachi was dead, and he had won.

Sasuke looked up at the dark sky, allowing the tears that heavens wept to fall onto his face. He was speechless. In his mind, he had been happy when seeing the lifeless body, eyes, and face of his older brother. But what he felt was nowhere near that. Instead, all he felt was regret and sadness.

'_What if you don't achieve that goal? What all would I have been for? What will you have then?' _

As Hikari's words from 2 ½ years ago echoed through his head, he blocked out the outside world. Until he heard a familiar voice call his name out.

"Sasuke!" It was her. Her beautiful bell like voice…Except it wasn't calm or angry, it was more like it was panicked. Sasuke fell onto his back, his vision blurry as Hikari knelt down next to him, her hair soaked, plastered to her face, her brown eyes bright. She wasn't dead…She was alive.

Sasuke let the darkness of unconsciousness consume him completely, a sigh of relief escaping his lips before he was out cold. Hikari lifted his unconscious form into her arms, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw he was still alive. Her gaze drifted over to Itachi, who lay on the ground, his eyes still open in death. She reached over to him with teary eyes and carefully closed his eyelids, taking off her cloak and laying it over his dead body.

'_Rest in peace, Itachi…'_

* * *

**A/N: Was it bad? I think it was! OH! What did you guys think? I don't know I wrote this the way I did, but I got inspired by some videogame I played awhile back…Was this okay? Was everyone in character? Let me know! Later taters! *SNEEZE, COUGH!***


	55. Madara Uchiha

**A/N: *Blows nose in tissue* Wow! 214 reviews! That's a lot of reviews! I feel pretty proud of myself, despite the fact that I'm sick! Yay for accomplishments! Anyone wanna suggest what should happen? HAHA, 'cause I have no idea! So…Yeah…enjoy, I guess…If I make anyone OOC, let me know…because I'm really trying not to! **

* * *

I sighed as I held Sasuke's unconscious form in my arms. As I stared down at him, my gaze wandered over to Itachi's lifeless body, now hidden under my cloak. I couldn't help but cry. Even though I didn't know him well, I knew that he was a good person with a good heart.

A person that really shouldn't have died.

But Sasuke…he would never know. His brother would never be able to tell him the true reasons behind the Uchiha Massacre. Itachi was a good brother and an honorable shinobi. It's funny, almost…despite the fact that Sasuke hated him, Itachi didn't. He loved Sasuke. Very much, like any older brother would their younger sibling.

But Sasuke would never know that.

Even in death, he still had a smile on his face. And it made me realize that he finally had the peace that he had longed for. I stared up at the crying sky, closing my eyes as the rain washed down my face, mixing in with my tears.

Life was a very fragile and precious thing. It was amazing how it could be created and then…just taken away, just like that. It was saddening…and very depressing. I was grateful to have been able to talk to Itachi and learn the truth about him, and about this Madara Uchiha person, along with how he was planning the Fourth Great Shinobi War. I felt bad that Sasuke had to grow up without the love of his older brother, but…He needs to open his eyes to see that there are plenty of people back home that do love him. He is loved by a lot of people, I am sure.

I'm one of those many people. I love him, too…

"Sasuke…you're really troublesome, you know that?" I mumbled, laying my forehead against his, pressing a kiss to his nose. "At least you kept your promise…"

He hadn't died on me, so I was very pleased about that. I let my chakra flow to my hand, starting with the wounds on his chest. I decided to start there and work my way up to the worst wounds. As soon as I finished up with healing, I would find somewhere that was dry and let him rest there before finding a proper place to bury Itachi. Yes, that seemed like a good plan. Heal Sasuke and give Itachi a proper funeral, one fit for an honorable shinobi like himself.

But it looked like those plans weren't going to go the way I wanted them, since I wasn't all alone now. There was someone else here. At times like these, I really wished I had Yoru around.

"Show yourself before I throw a kunai and purposely hit you." I growled out, someone chuckling before stepping out of their hiding place.

"Hello there…"

I stiffened, and to be honest with you, I wasn't really sure how I knew, but everything screamed that this creepy guy was Madara Uchiha, the guy Itachi had warned me about. Those danger arrows with the blinky lights appeared in my mind, pointing at him. I'm not really sure how I knew, but I just knew…perhaps it was instinct. Or the unusually deep voice…maybe that was it…Either way, I was instantly alert. I didn't bother to turn around, thinking against it since he could knock me out with his Sharingan…if he did have it.

I wasn't stupid.

"You're pretty clever, little girl," He began, and I almost growled at the nickname, "If you managed to figure out that I have the Sharingan."

"Lucky guess." I stated, tightening my hold on Sasuke as I heard the man approaching. If Itachi went to the trouble to warn me about this guy, then hell, of course he was dangerous! Hell if I was gonna let him get his dirty hands on Sasuke.

He stopped when he saw my reaction and chuckled. "I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to get Sasuke somewhere safe so he can heal properly. The others are still with Kisame. He will lead you all to where I am-"

"No." I could sense that he had tensed up at my response.

"Why not?"

Because you're evil, that's why! I would've said that, but I chose not to. What happened next went by so fast, that I didn't know what was going on. We were no longer standing in the ruins of where Sasuke and Itachi had battled it out, but instead we were now in some sort of cave like room. The bastard had done a teleportation jutsu! Damn! And I hadn't even been able to think of an escape plan! So much for trying to find somewhere safe for Sasuke and giving Itachi a proper burial. I carefully laid Sasuke onto the mattress that was on the floor. Madara made the move to try and take care of him, but I beat him to it, letting my chakra flow through my hands.

"I'm sure you mean to do good, mister, but I can patch him up just fine on my own." I took a chance and looked up at him, making sure my eyes didn't go wide when I saw what he looked like. He was that Tobi guy from before!

He nodded, though he didn't seem too happy about it. "Very well. Any medical supplies that you may need are in this…" He handed me a kit and I grabbed it and set it down next to me, mumbling my thanks. He said he would be back later, tomorrow actually. That didn't give me enough time to formulate and escape plan, sadly. He said he had things to talk about with Sasuke. More like feeding him lies, if you ask me…

Once he was gone, I let out a sigh of relief. Instantly, I went to work on patching and healing. After taking care of the less severe wounds, I went to using the medical supplies to clean out the more severe ones. I couldn't help but smile as I recalled the time in the Forest of Death when I had taken care of him.

It seemed like that time had been 10 years ago, when in reality, it had only been 2 ½ years…

Sigh.

I wiped the blood off of his face as soon as I had cleaned out the wounds, glad to find that his face was luck to not have been scratched up or damaged. Lastly, I went to bandaging him up, starting with his torso and arms, which had received the most damage. Within a few days, he would be fine. Hopefully…

As soon as he was all bandaged up, thankfully not looking like a mummy, I placed the blankets over him, grabbing one of the extra blankets and pillow that was left behind, laying it next to Sasuke. I undid my braids, brushing my hair out with my fingers so it could dry. I laid down and stared up at the ceiling, frowning at the spikes that protruded from it. I wondered how Suigetsu, Yoru, and Jugo were doing, and Karin, though I truly dislike her….

I didn't fall asleep. I was too worried to even sleep. Madara could've come in and slit my throat while I was sleeping, and then who would take care of Sasuke?

…My point exactly.

Maybe about 4 hours later, Sasuke began to move around. He was frowning a little, and slowly, his eyes fluttered open. I smiled, breathing a sigh of relief as he sat up, staring down at his lap. I glanced around the room, smiling still while I searched the room for a clock. "What a shame…no clock." I was about to comment on how bad the service was when Sasuke grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me around to face him. I was about to ask what the hell was wrong with him, but when I saw the look in his obsidian eyes, I decided against it. He stared at me in what I guessed to be pure shock. I simply stared back, mentally wincing as the grip he had on my shoulders was very painful.

"Um…Sasuke, is there something wrong? Something on my face?"

"H-Hikari…y-you're here…" His hands cupped my face. "I…"

Without any warning, he pulled my face forwards and crashed his lips into mine. The kiss was desperate on his end, but I found myself just as desperate as he was. This was our second kiss. Back when I ran into him all those months ago, I didn't count that one kiss he gave me as a kiss, seeing as how I pushed him away and slapped him. Normally, I might've done that right now, for instance, since was I wasn't really prepared, but I realized something _pretty_ important.

Kissing Sasuke Uchiha is the best thing in the world.

Sadly, it was over in like 10 seconds. Sasuke let his head rest on my shoulder, his forehead against my collarbone. If I wasn't already the color of a tomato, then I sure as hell was now. I wrapped my arms around him and just held him, resting my cheek on top of his head.

"I thought you were gone…"

I frowned, before realizing Itachi must've told him that to provoke him. "But I'm not, right? I'm here right now, aren't I?" I asked, running a hand through his hair, reveling at how soft it felt between my fingers. "It's okay. I'm here. Nothing's going to happen to me, okay? I'm fine."

He nodded against my neck, bringing his face back up and resting his forehead against mine, staring straight into my eyes as our noses touched. He was probably still trying to get over the fact that he had killed Itachi. He was probably traumatized about it. I mean, killing the last family member you have…think about it. It must be awful.

"Where are we?"

"Some type of base that's underground, I think. Remember that guy with the orange swirly mask? He brought us here. That's all that I know. He said he'd come back in the morning…Which I'm not really sure when it is, seeing as how there isn't even a clock in here…Some place this is…"

Sasuke grunted in response, resting his head back on my shoulder and pressing a kiss to my neck. I would've pushed him away, but I was too tired to even bother. Besides, it felt kind of nice. I stared up at the ceiling as he rested his head on my shoulder, contemplating the situation. To be completely honest, I was afraid of this Madara person, and of the lies he would try to feed Sasuke. I had made a promise to Itachi that I would take care of Sasuke, and stop him if it were necessary. I then questioned myself if I should mention Madara's name. Surely, Madara would reveal his identity to Sasuke on his own, right?

Scratch what I said about being afraid, because I was completely terrified. But I had to be brave, for Sasuke's sake. I could tell him about everything later, seeing as how Madara would twist around everything to make Sasuke want to destroy the village.

"What's wrong?"

I turned my attention back to Sasuke, who was staring at me with a concerned face. I sent him a smile, shaking my head.

"Nothing, just…thinking. Y'know, I can summon five beings at once now."

Might as well pick something to talk about while we sit here.

"How can you summon five beings at once? Not just anyone has that kind of chakra power."

I smiled. "That's because it's impossible for anyone to do. The five elemental dragons can only be summoned by someone who possesses all five chakra natures and the Godaigon. Long ago, there was an enemy clan from the Land of Lightning that declared war against the Kietsu clan of the Land of Fire. The Kietsu clan was well known for their Kekkei Genkai that most of the members possessed, known as the Godaigon. The Godaigon gave them the power to use the elements as weapons. There had been stories passed down from generation to generation about the legend of the five elemental dragons, and how there had been one man from the Kietsu clan that had to witness war being thrown upon his home. Out of desperation and hope, the man ran to a shrine that was held near the outskirts of his village and prayed to the five statues of the dragons, begging them for help. Because of this one man's wish for there to be peace, the dragons gave each member of the clan the power to use the elements as means of protection and weapons. Back to when the land of lightning declared war upon the Kietsu clan, there was a woman that did not wish for there to be a war on them. Like the man years before her, she went to the same shrine and prayed to the elemental dragons for them to protect her home and people, and make it to where the land of lightning would not bother to start killing anyone. And this time, the five dragons showed themselves and helped protect the clan and their village."

Sasuke blinked, "Interesting…"

"Mmm. The statues are still there in the shrine to this day. I got to see them when I left to go train."

He pressed another kiss to my collarbone and I shivered, gently pushing him back as I felt a new presence in the room.

"Well…You've done well at treating his wounds, Hikari." Sasuke and I both looked over at the direction the voice had come from, and I tensed. "You won, Sasuke. But you've sustained quite a bit of damage as well. Try not to force yourself up." As Madara walked out from the shadows, I held back the growl that was threatening to come out from my mouth. I was anxious, and Sasuke sensed it. He grabbed me and moved to his side so I was hidden behind him somewhat. Like it would really do any good, but it was sweet. "We've met once before."

I recalled when we had fought against him and Deidara. He seemed more…cheerful then.

"The last time, it was as enemies. Don't worry about Deidara's death…I am not your enemy."

A lie, of course. He was the devil.

Sasuke glanced over at me, and I sent him a look that said 'don't buy a word this guy says' before he looked back at Madara.

"I brought you here in order to tell you something…" Sasuke ignored him of course. "You're not interested at all, I see…Maybe if I put it another way, you'll listen? It is about Itachi Uchiha." I saw something in Sasuke's eyes flicker before he glanced at Madara again. "Yes…You think you know about your brother, but you know nothing." He began to take off his mask. "Oh, all right…Let's start with introductions. Like you, I am a survivor of the Uchiha Clan…And the one who knows the truth about Itachi Uchiha."

I'm not quite sure what had happened, but black flames suddenly attacked Madara's body, and blood began to fall from Sasuke's right eye. The mask fell to the ground and Madara moved back into the shadows, screaming in pain. Sasuke grunted in pain, covering his right eye. I pulled his hand away to look at him, wiping the new trail of blood off his face.

"What was that just now?" Sasuke mumbled to himself. I noticed he was sweating a bit, and instinctively put a hand to his forehead.

"You're burning up…" I grabbed a cloth and activated the Godaigon, creating a water sphere to wet the cloth. I wrung it out before dabbing it at Sasuke's face, listening as footsteps approached us again.

"The Amaterasu, which Itachi implanted inside you." Madara said, picking his mask back up and putting it on before walking into the light. "How like Itachi. He surprises you even after he's dead. To think he planned things this far…"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, pulling my hand away from his face, settling with holding it in his own.

"In order to kill me, he placed a jutsu into you…Or rather should I say; in order to keep me away from you…He probably set his Amaterasu to self-activate when you look into my Sharingan."

Man, Itachi sure was clever…

"So this was his fail-safe plan…Although it didn't work on me."

"So…what's this all about?"

"Before he died, Itachi must've done something to you. At the end…for your sake he transferred his own ocular powers to you."

"What are you saying? Just…what are you trying to say? Why would Itachi do something like that?" Sasuke yelled.

"Don't you get it? In order…to protect you."

Well, at least that was something true.

* * *

**A/N: Hm…This is the first chapter I've done in a while that is all Hikari's Point of View. So, how was it? Let me know, since you guys are really good at that! Also, tell me what should happen! LATER TATERS!**


	56. The Road Of Light

**A/N: Hey, guys, guess what? Twilight is now doing fan-dubs on YouTube! You should go to my profile page and go click on the link for my channel! You can watch me talking to the world in my 'I exist!' video, and hear some announcements that I have, though they're not that important, but whatever! So, head on over there after you read! Okay, so…I'm not sure what to do now with this story…Suggestions, please, and I shall give you a brownie! Enjoy!**

* * *

"You can't be serious? She what?" Hiroshi yelled, slamming his hands down onto the coffee table in front of the couch he was currently occupying with Tsunade and Yuna.

Koharu nodded her head. "Hikari has betrayed The Hidden Leaf by joining up with Sasuke Uchiha."

Hiroshi slammed his fist on the coffee table again. "That can't be! Hikari would never do something of the sort! She would never betray The Leaf Village!"

Homura threw a headband on the table. "Then how do you explain this? She defaced her own headband! A disrespectful act! She didn't attempt to come back with Kakashi's squadron when one of Naruto's shadow clones bumped into her."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe she was being held against her will?"

Homura closed his eyes. "Someone with ANBU exam scores like hers would be able to kill someone like Sasuke and escape."

Hiroshi still did not believe it. He opened his mouth to say more, but Yuna silenced him. "Don't say something foolish and stupid enough to get you into trouble, Hiroshi."

He glanced at her. "Can't you see anything at all, Yuna?"

Yuna shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, no. Her future is cloudy, as is her present time. No matter how hard I try to look into it, I cannot see anything at all."

"Damn!"

Tsunade had a frown settled onto her face. "Listen, I know that it seems as if she has betrayed the village, but I know Hikari, and betraying her own home is the last thing she would ever do. She would die before she had to do such a thing. Plus, she is an ANBU member. Did it ever occur to you that she might be trying to gather information by going along with Sasuke and his team?"

Homura frowned. "I don't suppose you told her to do that, did you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Koharu frowned as well. "You let her leave the village because she requested a leave of absence. Asuma's death clearly had a large impact on her. She probably lied about the leave of absence, and planned to leave the village in the first place. It's your fault we're all having to go through this, since you didn't see through her lies!"

Tsunade bit her lip, holding back the growl that threatened to escape. _'Damn Geezers! How dare they blame this on me!'_

Hiroshi threw the coffee table upside down, glaring angrily at the still composed elders. "Hikari wouldn't do something like this! I just know she-"

"And how would you know, Hiroshi? She didn't even know that you, her uncle, her mothers younger brother, existed until 2 ½ years ago. You wouldn't know much about her, seeing as you've only been in her life for 2 ½ years! You weren't around for the 13 years of her life! What makes you think you know so much about someone that you've only know for 2 ½ yeas?"

Hiroshi's bangs fell into his face, covering his green eyes from everyone. "You're right. You're right about everything you just said. I wasn't around her when she was child. The only way I got to hear about her was through the letters that Kaori would write to me…And after my older sister died, I never heard anything else about her. But even though I've only known my only niece for 2 ½ years, I know plenty about her already. More than either of you or anyone else. Hikari wouldn't betray her home. I know this for a fact, because she told me she never would and why she never would."

_Hiroshi ruffled Hikari's hair as she walked over to him, grabbing her water bottle and taking a few sips to clench her thirst. They had been training all morning, and Hikari was already exhausted. Mainly, it was her own fault, since she had insisted they keep training when Hiroshi said they should take a break for a couple of hours. _

"_You know…you wouldn't be so tired if you had agreed to take a break like I had said to 4 hours ago."_

_She was bent over, hands on her knees as she panted heavily. "B…But I have to keep…moving and training…or I'll…never reach Sasuke."_

_Hiroshi frowned a little. Tsunade had told him about Sasuke shortly before he left with Hikari. He knew that the Uchiha had left the village and betrayed it by going to Orochimaru. Tsunade had also gone to the trouble to tell him about the relationship Hikari had with Sasuke. He was bit worried about what Hikari would do to bring the boy back home. "Hikari, let me ask you something."_

"_W…what, Hiroshi-sensei?"_

"_Would you ever betray the Leaf Village to achieve one of your many goals?"_

_Hikari stopped panting, staring at him with bright brown eyes. She had a blank face for a moment, until a frown appeared on her face as she stood straight up. "Betray the Leaf Village just to achieve my goals? That's…"_

_He waited for her to continue, speaking up when she stayed silent. "That's what…?" She shook a bit, before letting out a battle cry and slamming her fist into a nearby tree, uprooting it in the process. Hiroshi waited for her to cool off for a bit, before asking her to continue. _

"_Betraying my birthplace just to reach and achieve some goal is so…stupid and foolish. Why would I betray a village that has so many kind and amazing people? I am a Sarutobi. My Grandfather was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. My Grandmother was Biwako Sarutobi. My parents were Takashi Sarutobi and Kaori Sarutobi. My uncle's are and were Asuma Sarutobi, Genma Shiranui, Hayate Gekko, and Hiroshi Kietsu," Hiroshi smiled as she included him, "I come from a family with honorable shinobi. If I were to ever betray the village, I would be betraying my family, not just the village. I would dishonor the Sarutobi and Kietsu names. My grandpa and father both taught me that protecting your family's honor is something very essential in the life of a shinobi. I would rather die before betraying Konoha. And if I were to ever betray Konoha, it would be because I was being forced to, though I highly doubt such a thing would happen. Besides, I can't betray Konoha for not just the reasons I gave, but for a very important reason."_

"_And what would that be?"_

_She closed her eyes for a minute, the wind blowing her hair around. She reopened her eyes and had a smile on her face. "I am my mothers living legacy. If I betray Konoha, I would be betraying my mothers honor. I have made a promise to myself. I will not be like Sasuke and seek out the wrong people to help me get stronger. I will stick with the right people in order to get stronger. I vow to walk down the right road."_

"_And what road would that be?"_

_She grinned. "The road of light."_

Hiroshi had his fists clenched at his sides. "Hikari wouldn't betray Konoha. She was raised knowing right from wrong. She knows what her path is. And she is someone who knows to protect her honor. She wouldn't betray this village. You have to believe me! She wouldn't do something like this…because it would be dishonoring Kaori."

Koharu an Homura were still frowning, Homura sighing shortly after Hiroshi was done. "The Third, his wife Biwako and their two sons, Takashi, Asuma, and their daughter-in-law, Kaori, were all very fine Shinobi. Honorable ones at that. But just because she is the granddaughter of the Third, we cannot allow this to just slip up. From this day forward, Hikari Sarutobi is-"

"Hikari will come back."

The occupants of the room glanced over at the doorway to see Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi all standing in the doorway, the one to have spoken being Naruto. Koharu and Homura both frowned at the interruption.

"Who gave you all permission just to walk in here?" Homura yelled.

Naruto stepped forward. "No one did. We let ourselves in."

"Why are you all here?" Tsunade asked, frowning in confusion.

"Because, we're not going to just sit around while Kari gets marked as a traitor."

"You have no say in this! It has already been determined. Stop trying to defend her!"

Naruto glared, shouting back just as angry. "Why should I? Just because we found her headband all scratched up doesn't mean shit!"

"Such vulgar words!" Koharu exclaimed in shock.

"Everyone else in the village agrees! So why can't you come to the terms of the truth? Why can't you believe it like everyone else does?"

"You're right…I don't believe it." Naruto said, Sakura moving past him and towards the blinds that were closed. She pulled them up while Sai came over and opened the window. "And neither does anyone else."

Koharu and Homura frowned before getting up and walking over to the window. Almost every single person in the village was standing outside of the Hokage residence, all of them cheering loudly. Kakashi stepped forward, his face stuck in his make-out-paradise book. "You see all of those people out there? Those are all of the people that don't think Hikari has abandoned the Leaf." **(A/N: cue really majestic music!)**

"Everyone out there knows Hikari and what kind of person she is. She's not a traitor like you say, instead she's a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. A shinobi that would never betray her home or people." Sakura said, a determined look on her face.

"Even though I don't know her all that well, I do know that Hikari is a good person, and someone that wouldn't do something so terrible." Sai said, staring out the window at the crowd.

"Hikari was my student, and I can tell you this for a fact: She's just like her mother. And if her mother never betrayed the village, then Hikari wouldn't do it either." Kakashi said, pocketing his book and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Hikari is my friend, one of my best friends, and I know that she wouldn't leave like Sasuke did. She's a person that you can depend on to help you if you need it, and be there for you. She hasn't abandoned the village or us. She loves the village. So believe it!"

Hiroshi and Yuna both smiled at Naruto's words, Hiroshi nodding at Naruto. _'Thank you, Naruto…Hikari will be grateful.'_

Tsunade smiled, staring over at the pictures on the wall of the Hokage's before her. "After all, she's The Honorable Granddaughter Hikari Sarutobi of the Honorable Third Hokage."

Hiroshi nodded in agreement, staring out the window and at the sky, a hawk flying overhead. He smiled as the wind blew in, blowing in his face, remembering Hikari's words from before.

"_I vow to walk down the right road."_

"_And what road would that be?"_

"_**The road of light."**_

* * *

**A/N: This was a filler, because I'm not sure how to go about Sasuke after Madara is done telling him everything. Suggestions on what should happen would be awesome! I also did this chapter because I thought that seeing what was happening with the village would be a good idea, plus someone asked me to, so I did! Hope you enjoyed! LATER TATERS!**


	57. Fate

**A/N: Hehe…Hey…**

**Hikari: *shakes head in disappointment***

**Look, I'm sorry! But I just went back to school this week and it's been pretty hectic! Please don't hate me! I'M SORRY! Also…please don't hate me for the shortness of this chapter. I didn't feel like typing up every word that Madara says, so I didn't. My choice for Sasuke…I don't know yet, though I really would like to send him back, I just don't think it would work very well…Nothing's final, so I'm still debating and you people still have time to give suggestions if you'd like :D They make me feel happy. So, yeah…READ ON!**

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Sasuke stared at Madara with wide eyes. "Protect? Did you say protect? You've got to be kidding!"

"I'll say it once more…You think you know about your brother, but you know nothing."

I saw Sasuke bite his lip for a moment before he spoke in a dangerous tone. "If you continue speaking such nonsense, I'll kill you!"

Madara let out a sigh. "You're not making this easy, are you? I suppose that's natural though…Suddenly being told such a story by a stranger like me. But what I tell you is the truth. Itachi did mention it, did he not? About his accomplice that night. I am that Madara Uchiha."

I felt Sasuke's grip on my hand tighten, and I squeezed it back gently as Madara continued. "I know everything about Itachi. I suppose Itachi died without realizing that."

"Shut-up! Such things don't matter anymore! Just get out of my sight and leave me alone!" Sasuke shouted, clutching my hand while clutching the blanket in the other.

"No, you will listen. You need to hear this. It's your obligation!"

Heh. Obligation my ass…

**_Fate!_**

"For the sake of the ninja world. For the sake of the Hidden Leaf Village…And for your sake…Your brother risked everything. You will know how Itachi Uchiha lived! Do you know why? Why Itachi implanted Amaterasu into your eye?" Yeah, to keep you away from Sasuke!

Poor Sasuke was hunched over, his grip on my hand so tight, it was painful.

"Itachi was determined to make that you and I would never meet. You will understand why, as well as everything else, when you hear me out. Those who knew the truth about Itachi were Danzo of the Hidden Leaf, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his advisors Homura and Koharu. Just those four. The Third died…and now, there are only three aging folk. Still, those three will probably never reveal the abominable truth. The truth about Itachi will fade into darkness forever. And that is what Itachi wished." Madara took a step towards us. "However, I know the truth about Itachi too. As I said earlier, Itachi died without realizing that. However, he wanted to make doubly sure. It seems Itachi didn't trust me. So just in case I did know the truth, he planned to silence me with Amaterasu. He probably anticipated that I would show my Sharingan in order to speak to you."

Itachi was clever, like I said before.

"What is this? What is this guy saying?" Sasuke began to talk to himself. "Protect me? Protect? The truth?"

"Think back. Think carefully and remember about Itachi. About your kind brother."

Sasuke was hyperventilating at this point, and I shot a glare at Madara. What did he think he could possible accomplish by this?

Oh, that's right…world domination.

"No, he…He tried to kill me! He tried to take my eyes!" To take his eyes? Well, that was something you didn't hear everyday. Sasuke began to cough, and I rubbed soothing circles all over his back, mumbling for him to breath and calm down. Madara made the move to touch him but I shook my head for him not to bother, and he stopped. Madara began to speak again, and I stopped him as Sasuke began to talk.

"He…Itachi was my enemy. He killed our parents…he killed everyone in the clan. He was a rouge ninja, a member of the Akatsuki. He was despicable. He was my target."

"It's true that he annihilated the Uchiha clan that night. And he deserted the Hidden Leaf."

"Then…"

"And that is what he was ordered to do by the Hidden Leaf." That grabbed Sasuke's attention. "This is the beginning of the truth about Itachi."

It was also the beginning of the lies that Madara would feed to Sasuke.

"It was his mission?" Sasuke asked, the shock clear on his face.

"Yes. That night, Itachi killed his personal feelings and fulfilled his mission."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Itachi sacrificed himself. It's a long story, but I tell you the truth. It all started 80 years ago…"

And the lies began. None of what Madara said was what Itachi himself told me. It was twisted around the wrong way. The man was truly a monster. He killed his friends and his younger brother just for the perfect Mangekyo Sharingan. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I glared long and hard at Madara as I opened my mouth.

"How would you know how Itachi really felt, or what he wanted for his brother? You know _nothing_ about what he wanted, so stop acting as if you know everything about him. If Itachi wanted Sasuke to live, it would be because he wanted him to represent the greatness and good of the Uchiha clan. Even though I didn't know him, I know that he wasn't the way you say he was." I carefully, pulled Sasuke up with me. "I'm sure you mean good about telling Sasuke all of this new information, but he's really in no condition for you to be telling him all of this so suddenly. I bid you good day, sir."

And with what bravery I had in me, I walked out of the room with Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke stood on one of the many rocks that overlooked the sea, the waves crashing around the rocks loudly. Madara's words echoed in his head.

'_For the peace of the Hidden Leaf Village, and most of all, for Sasuke Uchiha. He wanted to die as a criminal and a traitor. He accepted disgrace in the place of honor, and hate in the place of love. And despite that, Itachi died with a smile on his face. He entrusted the Uchiha name to you, his younger brother, deceiving you to the very end.'_

"_I'm home."_

_Sasuke stared out the doorway of his room excitedly, throwing down his toy shuriken and taking off at the sound of the house door sliding open, running around the corner just in time to see his big brother walking in and closing the door. "Welcome home, Big Brother!" Sasuke exclaimed, tackling Itachi into a hug. "Play with me, Big Brother! Huh? What'll we play?"_

"_Sasuke! Your brother has academy homework to do. You can play after he's done." Mikoto said, holding a basket of dirty laundry in her hands. _

"_Huh?" _

_Itachi smiled at the sad frown on Sasuke's face, before looking over at their mother. "That's okay. I can do my homework later. It's easy anyway."_

"_Goodness…" Mikoto mumbled, while Sasuke grinned happily. _

"_**Where could Big Brother be hiding?" **__He saw his brothers foot from the place he was sitting, running over and laughing happily. "Found you, big brother!"_

_Itachi smiled. "You're pretty sharp, Sasuke. However…too bad." It had been a clone, much to Sasuke's disappointment. When he had asked his brother to teach him the clone jutsu after dinner that night, his brother poked him in the forehead. _

"_Sorry, Sasuke. Let's do it some other time."_

"_**But, we only have each other as siblings. Even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome...I'm always going to be there for you. Even if you do hate me…That's what big brothers are for."**_

"_**Sorry, Sasuke…This is the last time."**_

Sasuke silently sobbed as the waves continued to crash around him as he stood on the rock alone. It had been so long…since he had cried. It felt foreign.

"Sasuke?" Hikari mumbled as she got up onto the rock he stood on. It didn't take much to realize he was crying, due to his shoulders shaking violently as the sobs racked through him. Hikari walked over, gently placing a hand on his arm, tears falling from her own eyes.

"I-I killed him…I killed m-my own brother…m-my only brother…"

Hikari wrapped her arms around him from behind, gently hugging him as he shook. "He loved you, Sasuke. Very much…"

"And I killed him…All this time he loved me. He…He really loved me."

"Shh….It's okay. I'm here…I'm here." Telling Sasuke about the dream and Genjutsu could wait. Just springing that on him so suddenly when he was already suffering would just make things worse, and Hikari knew that. Not only was Hikari sad, but she was afraid. Afraid of what Sasuke would do now. Do to himself. Do to others…

Do to Hidden Leaf Village.

Her worry caused her to hug Sasuke tighter, burying her face in the back of his white shirt. His tears reminded her of her parents deaths.

_Hikari stared down at the two gravestones, tears falling down her cheeks and onto the ground. "Y-You…You both s-said you'd come back. You both said you'd never leave me…**YOU PROMISED! YOU BOTH PROMISED**!"_

Even after witnessing death and seeing the grief and sorrow people would let out for those that had died still brought tears to her own eyes. Death was something that would always cause something inside of you to crumble apart and hurt.

Especially when you were the one that killed that loved one. Hikari knew she would never understand what it was like. But she could relate to Sasuke's sadness, though. She knew what it was like to lose a family member, but…

She didn't know what it was like to kill that family member.

But, despite that…she could try to put herself in Sasuke's shoes and imagine what it would feel like.

She could share his sadness with him.

* * *

**A/N: Not that great, but I gave you something at least! HOPE YOU ENJOYED! LATER TATERS!**


	58. Failed attempt at keeping a promise

**A/N: I have writers block with this story, I think…Because I'm not quite sure what to do, but I have come to a decision. I am going to continue on with the actual plotline of the Manga/Anime because I think it would make this story kind of…Unique, I suppose. I've read quite a few that have Sasuke just come back as soon as he kills Itachi, so…Yeah. Things might change, they might not. I'll see what the future holds. For now, enjoy!**

* * *

This was it. The moment I had been anxiously awaiting to speak of. This was the time to do it…

And yet, I can't help but be nervous and terrified at the same time.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

Here goes nothing…Gulp. "What…What're you gonna do, now that you've gotten your revenge?"

I was met with a prolonged silence from the Uchiha, who I thought was simply going to ignore me, until he spoke, his back still to me. "I'm going to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village and everyone in it."

His tone was so bitter and cold, full of so much hatred and malice. It made my heart hurt because of it. It also made me very angry at the same time. I didn't doubt that he would say that, but to hear it in actual words…well, it was scary. But that still didn't make my anger that was progressing quickly disappear.

"You can't be serious…"

He turned to glare at me with those cold onyx orbs. "They deserve to die. Every last one of them…After everything they've done to make me suffer and cause me pain…they deserve to die."

I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. "If you weren't suffering from the emotional loss of your older brother, I would've slugged you by now."

His glare intensified. "What are you trying to say, Hikari?"

"What am I…You need to stop trying to get revenge and looking for someone to blame."

"How dare you say that. You heard what he said! The Hidden Leaf is the cause for my clans death! My brother suffered because of what they did!" Sasuke stood over me, glaring down angrily at me while I returned the same look back.

"I can understand where-"

"No, you don't understand at _all_, Hikari. You don't know what it's like."

Must…resist…urge…to slap. "You're wrong and right at the same time. I don't know what it's like to have so much hate for a whole village, when only three people are really to blame. I don't know what it's like having your older brother kill your entire clan. I don't know what any of that is like at all. But I know what it's like to feel sad and alone. I know what it's like to lose your whole family to someone. I've lost _everyone and everything_, so don't you dare tell me I don't what that's like at all, because I know damn well what it's like, Sasuke! I know _exactly_ what it's like!" He seemed like he was a bit regretful for a moment, but that look suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a glare, but I still continued. "I know that you're angry, Sasuke. Hell, I'm just as angry at those damn geezers, and I think that they should die too."

"Then why are you trying to stop me?"

"Because an entire village full of innocent people doesn't deserve to burn to the ground just because of the actions of three people."

"They all need to die….and once they do, then I will be through with my revenge."

I sighed, shaking my head. "If I told you that your brother contacted me in a dream through some sort of genjutsu, would you believe me? Because it's the truth, and I never lie. He told me that Madara would come in contact with you and what he would do. He told me that he was going to use you so he can get his own revenge on the Leaf. He wants to start another ninja war, Sasuke. And he's using you so he can do just that and take over the world. You're just a toy to him!"

"I don't believe you."

And that's all it took for me to lose the cool I was trying to maintain with Sasuke.

* * *

Hikari punched the wall next to her, leaving a crack from the impact her fist had on it. Sasuke merely stared at her with anger while she returned the look. "Why? **WHY THE FUCK DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?**"

"Because you're trying to stop me, Hikari. You're making up reasons for me to not go with my decision."

Her hair fell into her face, covering her eyes while a bitter smile appeared on her face. "I knew this would happen. I was trying to be the good guy and do as your brother asked by making sure you wouldn't go through with this…I guess I made a promise that I should've known I couldn't keep. Fine. I see how it is then. I'm not staying here any longer. I'm going home."

Sasuke grabbed her and slammed her into the wall, anger rising up into his chest. "You're not going anywhere, Hikari. Not even to that rotten village."

"Why won't you let me leave? I don't want to stay here anymore!"

"I need you here. You're important to my plans."

"I don't give a flying fuck about your stupid plans. I don't want to be a part of them!"

"You don't get a say, Hikari."

"Let. Me. Go. Sasuke." Hikari growled out.

"…No."

"**LET ME GO! I WANT TO GO HOME!"**

"No." He was met with a rough punch, sending him flying backwards and into the wall behind him. He stood back up as if it hadn't hurt at all, Sharingan activated, his red eyes clashing with Hikari's blue and green eyes. He frowned as he watched tears streaming down Hikari's cheeks, her hand reaching for her kunai pouch. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit as he realized what she was planning, and instantly he was back in front of her, gripping her wrist and stopping her from stabbing herself straight in the neck. "Stupid Karasu…"

She sobbed as she glared at him. "You're the stupid one, duck-butt! You want to destroy everything because of your troubles. You think you're the only one that's had it rough, huh? That you're the only one who knows true sadness and pain? No one gives a shit anymore about what happened to you, Sasuke. People have gotten over what happened, so stop living in the past and move the fuck on!"

"Shut-up, Hikari."

"If you want to destroy the village that I was born and raised in, then you have to kill me first if you want to do just that. Because I will _die_ before you lay a hand on my home and my people. Do it now. _Kill me_."

Sasuke's glare hardened. Of course he could kill her. He would too…

Except Sasuke didn't have it in him to hurt her. She was too precious to him.

"Go on, Sasuke. If you can kill me easily, then you can destroy Konoha just as easily too. If you can live with the fact that you killed me, then you can live with knowing that you destroyed an entire village and murdered thousands of people. You-"

Sasuke shut her up by crashing his lips to her own, the kiss rough and forceful. Hikari struggled for a moment, until Sasuke's tongue slipped into her mouth, earning a small whimper from her. He pulled away and rested his forehead against her, panting quietly from the breathless kiss. Hikari continued to sob quietly as they stayed like that, Sasuke reaching up to wipe the tears away with his thumbs. He allowed Hikari to let out a loud sob as she latched herself onto him, burying her face in his chest while he rested his head on her head, breathing in her scent. Her hair smelt like jasmine, a truly delicious smell.

Hikari cried for many reasons, the main one being that she couldn't get Sasuke to listen and believe her. She felt as if she had failed Itachi. But…

That didn't mean she wouldn't stop at nothing to keep her home safe. Even if Sasuke had to kill her, then so be it. She would die for her home if it was necessary.

It was the way of the Shinobi, sad but true. And once a Shinobi, you couldn't change anything at all. But…

She would continue to try.

* * *

Hiroshi sighed as he lounged around Hikari's house, looking around the living room. A tap near the VCR caught his attention, causing him to move over to the TV and pick up, reading the label on it.

_**Hikari and Kaori singing to Konohamaru: Age 4 and 8 weeks old.**_

Hiroshi grinned as he recognized Takashi's handwriting, sticking the tape into the VCR and turning the TV on, pressing play on the remote. The screen became a little fuzzy for a minute, before it settled onto a door, singing coming from inside the room. The door was pushed open, revealing a 4 year old Hikari standing on a chair and over a baby crib, the 4 year old singing softly.

"'_Cause you'll be in my heart_

_Yes you'll be in my heart_

_From this day on_

_Now and forever more…"_

"_Babe!" _The one behind the camera, who Hiroshi realized was Takashi, exclaimed quietly.

"_What?" _Kaori asked, the camera moving away from the door and onto her as she approached quietly.

"_Come look at this." _Takashi said, the camera turning back to the door, Kaori peeking inside. She laughed softly.

"_How sweet…" Kaori mumbled quietly, walking inside the room and standing next to the crib, singing along, her voice outdoing Hikari's little one. _

"You always did have an amazing voice, sis…" Hiroshi mumbled as he listened to mother and daughter sing to the baby in the crib. As something wet rolled down his cheek, Hiroshi frowned, reaching up and touching his cheek.

He was crying.

"_Yes you'll be in my heart_

_No matter what they say_

_You'll be here in my heart_

_Always…_

_Come stop your crying_

_It will be alright_

_Just take my hand_

_Hold it tight_

_I will protect you_

_From all around you_

_I will be here don't you cry_

_Yes you'll be in my heart_

_No matter what they say_

_You'll be here in my heart_

_Always_

_Always…"_

Hiroshi continued to cry as the video ended, shutting off the TV and standing up.

He had to get his niece back.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Are you really being serious about this?"

"As serious as I always am."

"And since when have you ever been serious, Hiroshi?"

"…Shut-up, Yuna."

Yuna had her arms crossed across her chest, a disapproving look on her face. "You really think that it's that easy? That you can really find her and bring her back?"

Hiroshi stopped packing, glancing over at her. "I can't just stand around here and think about what she'll be dragged into."

"Apparently, you're not thinking about the chances that you're taking here. You could be killed if you even try to do something like this."

"That's a risk I am willing to take."

And there was no stopping him from going either.

* * *

**A/N: Meh, this was okay. Could it have been better? What do you guys think? Was it bad? Let me know! LATER TATERS!**


	59. I'm Going to Live

**_I'm Going to Live_**

'_Are you absolutely sure you don't want me to eat him?'_

Hikari sighed, shaking her head. "No, Yoru. Eating him won't do much good at all…"

The large tiger nuzzled Hikari's cheek, the Sarutobi girl cupping his face and hugging it, earning a soft purr from him. She sniffled softly, her tears falling down onto Yoru's fur. The tiger allowed her to bury her face into his neck and cry, Yoru simply purring comfortingly. Hikari's stress and anxiety affected him as well. Eventually, she stood up and wiped the tears with the back of her arm, moving over to her pack and opening it up, dropping it accidentally and sending all her stuff flying out. Letting out a sigh, she knelt down on the floor and began to pick everything up, her hands stopping over a white envelope. A frown settled onto her face as she picked up the unfamiliar envelope, looking it over. Her name was addressed on the front of it, confusing her even more. Yoru came and stood next to her as she opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper that was covered in writing. There was more than one piece too. She unfolded the paper carefully and began to read it.

_Hikari,_

_If you are reading this letter, then it means that I am no longer here with you or Konohamaru. I'm sorry that I couldn't stay with you two for a bit longer, but my time came and I had to go. I'm sure that I died an honorable death though. After all, I was the Third Hokage. The reason I am writing this letter is because there are some things that you need to know about. I was unable to tell you because of this untimely death of mine, but you will know what those things were in this letter. Your mother and father were two of the best shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. They were respected by many, and when they died, many wept for their sudden deaths. They were truly honorable shinobi. I never told you the truth about their deaths, though. A man that was a former Leaf shinobi that goes by the name of Orochimaru is the reason for their deaths. He is the one who killed them._

_But even though he did, I do not want you to take the path of vengeance and hatred. You will have the wish to kill him, but do not follow that one desire. It can end up killing you if you try to take that path. Be smart and take the right path, one that you can take and still be happy on. That is one of the true ways of the Shinobi. And your happiness matters, Hikari. Never think that it doesn't. Your mother and father wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life seeking vengeance for them. They would want you to grow up an honorable and well trained ninja. It was their wish for you to grow up happily. _

_I want you to always remember something, Hikari. Never think that you are alone. You have many people that love and care for you. Just look at all the wonderful friends you have and have made. They care for you and love you, just as you treasure them. Even though the people that may be the most important to your heart are gone, that doesn't mean that their love for you disappears. It lives on within your own heart. Those people remain inside you, for all eternity. Even though we have to say goodbye sometimes, it doesn't mean it's going to be forever. We will always see them again someday. _

_I've run out of time to say more. Once again, I am sorry about leaving you and Konohamaru, but you two will have each other and Asuma. I'll be with you all, forever. Live, Hikari. I want you to live. The Sarutobi Clan must not die. So live for all of us, little one. _

_Goodbye, my favorite granddaughter. _

_Love, _

_Grandpa Hokage._

Tears fell one by one onto the letter, smudging the ink on it some. Hikari sniffled quietly as she pulled out the other piece of paper, unfolding it just as carefully, noticing the handwriting was different.

_Sorry I never gave it to you, kid. I guess I was afraid…of the outcome of you reading it. I slipped both of these into your bag just before I left for my mission. We're supposed track down two members of the Akatsuki that have made it into the Land of Fire. Heh, don't worry, it'll be easy. I'll be home before you know it. Also, I want you to know something else, but keep it to yourself. Kurenai and I are going to have a baby, so you're gonna be a cousin. Just thought I'd let you know before you started asking why I suddenly stopped smoking. You should be proud of me, squirt. _

_I found this picture not too long ago and I'd thought you'd like to have it. So, here ya go. Hope you like it. I know I don't really say this often, but you've grown up to be a great shinobi. Just like your mom. I'm proud of you Hikari. _

_I love you too. Don't ever think that I don't, because I really do. I love you very much, squirt, even though I don't show it or tell you very often. And I will always love you, no matter what. Also, when you have to fight, fight for a reason. Have a reason and purpose for fighting. If you have one, than you will always win, no matter what. _

_Never forget that, Hikari. And don't forget to live for everyone you love. Live for them._

_~Asuma_

Not finding the picture the letter mentioned, Hikari held the envelope upside down, a single square piece of paper falling from it. She picked it up and flipped it over, staring down at the picture. Tears continued to fall as she smiled, falling onto the single piece of paper she held in her hands. It was a picture that had been taken when she was about 9 years old. Asuma had set her on top of his shoulders and was carrying her around, a large grin on his face while she wore a similar one on her own. She held an ice cream cone in her hands, and she remembered how hard she had tried not to drop it on the ground or on top of Asuma's head. Right after the picture had been taken, she had ended up dropping it on top of his head. He literally got a brain freeze from it, too.

She laughed slightly, sniffling as the words of the Third and Asuma echoed in her head.

'_**Live….'**_

"I think…I understand now." Hikari mumbled, pocketing the picture and the letters.

'_What?' _Yoru asked, nudging her shoulder with his head.

She pulled out a picture of her family from her bag and smiled. "My family was always there for me, taking care of me and loving me. I only have my little brother now, but…my friends…they're my family too. I love them just as much as I loved my parents, my grandpa, my uncle. I used to think that I had nothing after they died. I used to ask myself what good it would do to even have anything or anyone special to me if they were always taken away from me. Right after my parents died, I sort of…distanced myself from everybody. I stopped that though when I was about 11. But I did that for 3 years. I stopped doing it because I realized that there were some people that weren't as lucky as I was. I still had some family. But…I've overlooked that until now. Even though I barely have anything left, I still have my friends." Her smile remained, "They've always been there for me. If I die, I can't repay the favor by being there for them."

"_**My honor, my dreams…they're yours now."**_

"My mother entrusted me with the two most important things a ninja possesses."

"_**You'll be…my living legacy."**_

"I am her Living Legacy. And in order for me to be such a thing, I have to stay alive."

For a moment she could've sworn she heard Asuma's voice echoing inside her head. _**"You're gonna live….for the both of us."**_

"I have to live. For everyone. I have to live for them all, no matter what happens or what it takes. I am _going _to live."

'_I will live for them all….I promise.'_

* * *

_I realize the screaming pain_

_Hearing loud in my brain_

_But I'm going straight ahead_

_With this scar_

_Can you hear me?_

_Can you hear me?_

_Can you here me?_

_So am I_

_I don't mind if you don't remember _

_All the feelings that we used to share_

_For I've sealed away my heart_

_Into the darkness_

_It's just fine if you _

_End up hurting me_

_Cause I don't feel pain anymore_

_I just drag my feet behind me_

_Towards what's held in store_

_I had been led astray_

_With no hope to be found_

_My heart withered away_

_And I fell to the ground_

_Then I heard a voice_

_Within the blowing of the wind_

_Please let me show you the pain_

_My scars have made me obtain_

_Before the weight of _

_The world comes crashing down_

_On my shoulders_

_Do you remember the time_

_Our tears fell down from the sky_

_Someday soon when I'm gone_

_Never think that I will neglect you_

_For the pain that I have_

_Sealed away in your heart_

_Will protect you…_

* * *

Sasuke stared out at the water, the waves crashing against the rocks. The wind blew on his face, causing him to close his eyes. Karin, Jugo, Suigetsu, and Madara were all standing on different rocks behind him, Hikari standing by his side, a saddened look on her face. She knew what was going to happen, but no matter what she did, she couldn't reach Sasuke. He refused to believe her words about Itachi speaking with her.

A hawk screeched as it flew overhead, Hikari staring up at it and watching it fly over them.

"We are no longer 'Hebi'." Sasuke announced, his eyes remaining closed. Hikari watched the Hawk fly off into the sunset, opening her palm and allowing a single brown feather to fall into her hand. "From this day on, our team will be 'Taka'. Taka has only one goal. We_…_"Sasuke's eyes opened up to reveal his new Mangekyo Sharingan. "Will destroy the Hidden Leaf."

There was nothing she could do…but that didn't mean she was about to give up on hope.

* * *

**A/N: H-hey, sorry I haven't updated for awhile! I've been super busy with school and stuff! BAH, THIS WAS CRAPPY T-T! But leave a review anyway, kay? LATER TATERS!**


	60. A bit of normalcy

**A/N: Gah….I don't have any idea where I should go with this now, which is sort of bad…I need advice, so yeah…if you people could spare some, it would be wonderful. SUMMER BREAK IS HERE, SO MORE UPDATES! Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

A single cigarette lied on top of the tombstone, a small thin line of smoke coming from it as it burned slowly. The sound of a lighter flicking on and off could be heard as a single person sat in the graveyard, staring down at the tombstone.

"Sorry I haven't visited in awhile…things have been pretty hectic, in a sense." Shikamaru said, flicking the lighter again as he spoke, "Not sure if anyone said something yet, but that crazy niece of yours went and got herself caught up in some big mess with Sasuke Uchiha. I know I promised to look out for her like I said I would look out for Kurenai, but…Well, Lady Tsunade isn't letting anyone go look for her right now."

_Shikamaru sat outside of his house, his legs dangling off the edge of the deck. It was already past midnight, two in the morning to be exact. It had only been an hour since he had stopped his uncontrollable sobbing that his fathers words had set off. His father had left as soon as he had began to cry, giving him the privacy to weep over Asuma's death in private. _

"_I didn't know you were a late night person, Shikamaru," said person looked up tiredly to see Hikari standing in front of him, walking over to him and taking seat down. _

"_I could ask you the same thing." Shikamaru said hoarsely, his throat sore from all of his sobbing. He was surprised he could still even talk. "What are you doing out so late?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head, "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk. I just happened to see you as I was passing by. What's got you up so late?"_

"_Couldn't sleep either," He lied. _

_She frowned at him for a moment before standing up and moving behind him. She knelt down behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him carefully though it still surprised him. "You're a terrible liar, Shika. We've known each other since we were 5 and you've always been a terrible liar. Knowing your father and how persistent of a man he is, you probably spent most of the night mourning, right?"_

"…_."_

"_It's okay to be sad, Shikamaru. He was your Sensei and one of your important people. Crying over him is all right, because of that." _

_He was no longer tensed up, but he hung his head down. "I'm sorry, Hikari…I'm really sorry."_

"_What are you apologizing for, Shikamaru?"_

"_It's my fault…I couldn't save him, and he died. And it's all my fault." _

_Hikari tightened her arms around him, making a small sound of amusement. "No. It's not. I don't blame you. And you know what? I never will."_

"_But why? Why don't you blame me? Because of me, your only-"_

"_I don't blame you, because I have no reason to. If anything, Shikamaru…I have you to thank."_

_He glanced at her over his shoulder. "For what?"_

_She smiled, "My uncle…he used to be very…strict and a bit bitter. He and grandpa didn't get along very well. It was because he felt that grandpa would never acknowledge his accomplishments. That's why he left the village and joined the Guardian Twelve. When he came back, though…He was more…distant, I guess. But when he became the leader of team ten, he started smiling and laughing a bit more. I noticed that changed immediately. It's because you, Ino, and Choji gave back that little bit of joy that became dormant inside of him."_

"_But what does that have to do with-"_

"_And…I can't find it in me to blame you. You did what you could. You were there to help him. And even though he still fell, you were there and you tried your best to save him. You were there, and that's all matters." _

_Shikamaru remained quiet, stiffening as he felt something wet fall on the back of his neck. He didn't need to turn around to see for himself to know that Hikari was crying. They stayed like that for a while, until Hikari removed her arms from around him and stood up. _

"_Think about it, Shikamaru. Live your life without any guilt or blame, and have a content and happy life." As she walked away, Shikamaru looked up at the moon._

"_Thanks…Hikari."_

* * *

Hikari breathed in deeply as a breeze blew by, sighing as she let it out and gazed up at the night sky. The stars were bright, the sky clear from any clouds. It was a nice night out. Hikari let herself fall onto her back on the giant rock she had climbed up onto and gaze up at the stars, listening to the song the wind sang.

"_Hikari?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Do you want me to teach you the song the wind sings?"_

"_Yeah, yeah! Teach me, momma!"_

"_Haha, okay, okay!" _

Hikari laughed as the memory from all those years ago entered her mind, smiling as she remembered the words. Quietly, she began to sing them aloud.

"_Sing a song and_

_For a moment_

_You will be visited by the wind_

_Sing a song and_

_For a moment_

_Dream sweetly_

_Of the wind_

_Sleep now_

_Until_

_The night is dawn_

_The wind and the night song_

_They are there_

_However the song_

_My child_

_Will go on_

_Forever…."_

When she had left the village with Hiroshi, the Kietsu clan elders had her learn the song in the ancient language, which had been quite a task for Hikari. She spent weeks learning and practicing it, until she finally sang it correctly.

"_Imba wimbo_

_Wa upepo_

_Wakati unajiwa na_

_Imba wimbo_

_Wa upepo_

_Wakati ndoto tamu_

_Lala mpaka_

_Usiku uisheni_

_Upepo wa usiku _

_Wimbo wanko na"_

"You shouldn't be outside so late."

Hikari sat up to find Sasuke standing down on the ground, looking up at her. She frowned. "Says who?"

"Says me."

She stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to the sky, aware that Sasuke was climbing up onto the rock. He came to a stop next to her, hands on his hips. "What are you even doing out here in the first place?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I couldn't really sleep, so I came out here for some fresh air."

"Hn. You missed the meeting."

"I didn't 'miss' it, I just didn't want to go."

"Why is that?"

She frowned, "I'd rather not sit and listen to people discussing how they're going to destroy my home."

Sasuke had no response to that as he took a seat next to her. "We're leaving tomorrow for the eight-tails."

"_We?" _

"You're coming too."

He felt her glaring at him, but he didn't look at her. "Listen, I may be stuck with you, but that doesn't mean I have to go anywhere with you."

"And what makes you think that you have a choice?"

Her glare intensified, "You're right. I really don't have a choice, seeing as how you can catch me before I try to get away. I'm stuck here with you, even though I don't like it. But I want to make something clear; Just because I have no choice but to tag along with you, that doesn't mean I'm going to help you with your stupid plans."

Sasuke smirked, glancing over at her. "You're still as stubborn as always. You really don't get it, do you Hikari?"

"What else is there for me to get, Sasuke?" She asked quietly, "What more do you have to do to make me understand why you're doing all of this? Wasn't getting your long seen revenge enough?"

"Those people made Itachi the way he was."

She sighed, "I know that, Sasuke. More than you realize. But you have understand, being angry at the entire world doesn't help anything. Sure, the elders, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo of the Foundation are the reason why everyone close to you is gone, and the reason why Itachi betrayed the Leaf Village. The reason why your heart is filled with so much hatred and darkness." She glanced at him quietly, staring right into his eyes. "But tell me this: How is destroying a village supposed to make all of it stop?"

"As soon as Konoha is gone, then I can finally be at peace."

"But what about all the people that call Konoha 'home'? They will never be at peace when they have no home and lost so much. You won't be at peace, Sasuke. The guilt will get to your head, and you'll end up like one of those crazy psycho killers that they talk about on TV. You will continue to kill and destroy until one day, someone finally stops you, or kills you. In all honesty, I hope that the last one doesn't happen…"

"Why does that village matter to you so much ?"

She smiled slightly. "Because…It's where I was born, and it's where I grew up. Everything that I treasure, everything that's important to me…all of it is there. Even the people that I love. I will admit, that sometimes, I used to wish I could leave the village and set out on my own. But I couldn't just leave everything behind like it didn't matter. Because it did. Everything about the village matters to me, and that's why I will not allow someone to throw harm on it. If my home is threatened, I will see to it that it is protected."

"Hn."

"You remember what I told you, right Sasuke? About how you would have to kill me if you wanted destroy the Leaf? I meant it. Every word, I meant. Sure, I may not have a choice in what I want seeing the current situation that I am in, but when it comes to my home and family, then I am willing to give anything, even my life, to assure the safety of my people and home. And I'm deadly serious about that, Sasuke. Make no mistake of it."

She said it with such intensity and emphasis, something that Sasuke had never seen her do. Usually, she was screaming at him to let her leave, but…something was different.

And he liked it, strangely enough.

"Hikari."

"Hm?"

"What am I to you?"

She blinked for a moment before turning away quickly, heat rising up to her cheeks. How in the world was she supposed to know the answer to that? Sasuke had played with her emotions the entire time she had been stuck with him. Hell, she didn't even know whether they were in a relationship of some sort, what with all the kisses he had been giving her. "I…I'm not sure. The way you act around me…kinda confuses me, Sasuke." He frowned at this, causing her to giggle slightly. "It's just…you act like I mean nothing to you for a second, and when I'm in danger or something, you act like I mean everything to you. You…remember that day, two years ago, don't you?"

Sasuke frowned, looking away from her and nodding. "Yeah…Back at the Valley of the End."

"I asked you if you loved me. You told me no. But…what about now? Has anything changed, Sasuke? I don't know what you are to me unless I know what I am to you."

Sasuke stared up at the stars. "Back then…when we were just kids starting off in the academy…there wasn't a kid that didn't know who I was. Until a girl came up to me one day during recess and complimented my shuriken jutsu. She was the first person I'd ever met that didn't know my name."

Hikari laughed softly, the memory replaying over in her head. "You actually remember that? It's been so long…since I've thought about that." She said, yawning in the process.

"Guys envied me and girls loved me and followed me around. But you…you were different from all the other girls, and I never understood why exactly. I always thought it was strange that you didn't look at me like a piece of eye candy like the other girls in our class would. Instead, you would just sit off by yourself somewhere and keep to yourself, reading books. I never understood why you didn't like to play with the other girls in our class, or play with any of the kids. Why did you always sit and read?"

She smiled tiredly, "I used to have a lot of friends when I was little. But…the only reason they were my friends was because I was the Hokage's granddaughter. Miss Little Hikari Sarutobi, the Honorable Granddaughter of the Honorable Third Hokage. I wasn't stupid, even though I was just a little girl. I knew why they were my friends. Even though it bothered me, I would pretend that it didn't. So, I would go and sit off by myself and either read or draw or color. It didn't bother them, so it was okay. I didn't mind. I had more friends that were my real friends, but I was just someone who liked to be quiet. But when I saw you that day…you made me curious, so I wanted to be your friend."

The smile she gave him broke his self control and he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her forward and crashing his lips to hers, earning a muffled sound of surprise. Her eyes slipped closed after a second and she began to kiss him back, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. After a few more seconds, Sasuke broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily, resting his forehead against Hikari's.

"I've never understood why you wanted to be my friend. I never could. I never understood why you treated me with so much kindness when I treated you like crap. I never understood any of it. Why did you want to be my friend so badly, Hikari?" Sasuke asked, looking at her with confusion and curiosity clouding his eyes and masking his face as he recalled the many times Hikari would treat him with as much kindness she treated others with, even though he was always so cold to everyone, including her.

She was silent for a minute, a thoughtful look on her face, "Because," she began, looking up into his eyes, "you looked like someone who needed a friend by his side. I wanted to be that friend that was there to help you. That's why I was always trying to talk to you. Sure, it did sting when you were mean to me, but I didn't care. I would just keep trying until you let me in. I wanted to share the pain that you were given with you, but you would never let me in deep enough to. I wanted to help you, but how could I when every time I tried to, you would just push me away?"

He gave her a little smile, "I didn't want it to hurt so bad when I left. That's why I tried to keep a certain distance between us. But in the end, my efforts failed. You still ended up getting to me. When I found out that you had been in that hideout the entire time and that Orochimaru had kidnapped you, I wanted to snap his neck in half. Just the thought of his hands on you made me so angry."

She laughed slightly. "You and a bunch of other people included. Though I really don't think they included the tidbit about wanting to snap his neck." She stared up at the sky, gasping excitedly as she saw a flash of light across the sky. She closed her eyes quickly, silently wishing upon the shooting star before reopening them, Sasuke having a look of what appeared to be amusement on his face.

"What did you wish for?"

She winked at him, holding her index finger up. "Not telling!"

He frowned while she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

For the first time in awhile, it seemed like there were no problems at all in the world.

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**A/N: So…tired…not enough energy to make long A/N….Review and shit….yeah. LATER TATERS!**


	61. Kaori Kietsu! The Eighttails host!

**A/N: Whew!**

**Characters: *Glare***

**N-nani? What's with all of you?**

**Hikari: Where the hell have you been?**

**W-working on other stuff, like my KH, Ff7, and Pokemon stories…S-sorry, but I've been trying to get inspiration for this next chapter ^-^;**

**Sasuke: Hn…Are you sure that you're just not lazy?**

**Oh, shut up…Any who, I'm here with a new chapter, which starts off with things back in the Leaf Village! Yay! Okay, so go on and do the usual. R&R! ENJOOOOYYY!**

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Tsunade rested her chin on the tops of her hands, her eyes closed while she let out an exasperated sigh before she reopened them to stare at the blonde in front of her.

Yuna was silent as the Hokage looked her over with a small look of anger, the brown eyes scanning over her face. Finally, Tsunade broke the silence.

"Where did Hiroshi go, Yuna?"

"The Kietsu Clan Elders sent word for him to return. They said they had to discuss something important with him."

"And why did you not go back with him?"

"I'm a Medical Ninja, as you already know. I've been helping around at the hospital lately. Konoha needs all the help they can get for what's to come."

Tsunade's frown deepened, "Yuna. I like you a lot. You remind me a bit of myself when I was your age. But I've been around long enough to see through a lie. Where is Hiroshi, Yuna?"

"I already-"

"Don't give me that bull crap!" Tsunade shouted, shooting up from her seat and slamming her hands down on the top of her desk, Ton-Ton making a surprised squeal as she was startled from her nap. "If you do not tell me where he went, I will have no choice but to bring Ibiki in."

Yuna's eyes widened a small bit, before she lowered her gaze to the floor and stared at it sadly, "Milady…Before I tell you where he is, let me tell you something else."

"I'm listening."

"When Hiroshi was only a child, around 9 years old, Kaori left the safety of the mountains. No one in the village knows what happened that made her leave the mountain, except Takashi and his parents. But I'm going to tell you. Takahiro Kietsu. A member of the main branch family, and Kaori and Hiroshi's father. After the last Shinobi War, the Kietsu Clan left their home of the Leaf, and sought sanctuary in the Tamakoya Mountains. No one in the outside world knew where we were. Most people figured that the Kietsu Clan became extinct during the war. And that's how the Kietsu Clan wanted it. They were tired of losing their friends and family just because of the great power they held within them. As I mentioned, Kaori left when she was exactly 18 years old. Hiroshi wanted to go with her so badly. I can remember the day she left. She was just about to walk out of the village gates, and Hiroshi stopped her."

"What happened then?"

"…He told her to take him with her. She laughed about it and told him that she would come back for him one day. And then…she was gone. We never saw her again. Only heard from her through letters."

"Why did she leave?" Tsunade asked, curious as to where this story was going.

"…Takahiro feared everything outside of the mountains. Though we did have to go out there sometimes, he would never allow Kaori to go outside of the gates."

"But why is that? If he let others go out, why not his own child?"

Yuna's blue eyes held sadness in them. "Kaori…was special."

"Hm?"

"She unlocked her Godaigon at the youngest age out of all the children. She was only 5 when she did. And she had complete control over it. She was able to grasp how to use it so fast, it was unreal. Most people thought it was because she was born from the main household. Others thought it was just luck. Elders…they thought she was some sort of 'prophecy' child. She had completely mastered her Kekkei Genkai by the time she was 8 years old. Takahiro…he treasured her. But…because of how strong she was…she was a target for anyone who wanted the power of the Godaigon. And because of that, Takahiro had forbidden her from ever going outside of the mountains. She was never to leave the mountains."

"The how did she leave and get here?"

"When she was about Hikari's age, she began to feel like she was a bird in a cage. She begged and begged to go out and see the world, but Takahiro wanted to hear nothing about it. Then…one day, she managed to sneak out. I don't remember the full details, but…she met Takashi while she was out there, and she found out where he was from. When she came back, Takahiro was furious. He told her that she was a disgrace for leaving when she had been forbidden to not go outside of the mountains. That she had brought dishonor to her family's name and to herself. She didn't do anything. She just stood there, and took it. When he was done yelling…she just smiled at him."

"_Father…I know that you are angry at me. But…I don't care anymore."_

_Takahiro glared at his eldest child furiously, "You are my daughter! You do not belong outside of the mountains! If I have to, I will lock you in your room until you realize this, Kaori!"_

"_No. You won't need to. I'm of legal age to take care of myself now. I'm not going to stay here where you won't let me live they way I wish to live."_

"_This is your home! You will not leave it!"_

"_It may be my home, father…But it's not where I belong."_

"_Where will you go out there? No place is safe for a holder of the Godaigon!"_

"…_I'm going home to the Leaf Village. The people there are kind. There, I will become a ninja of the leaf. And I will live the way __**I **__wish to live. You may be my father, but…sometimes, I wonder if I'm really your child with the way treat me as if I'm a glass doll that will break."_

"_Kaori, you have brought shame to your clan! You have dishonored your family!"_

"_I'm sorry if I've ruined your reputation, father. But I will not allow you to keep me locked in here for the rest of my life. I'm not a child anymore. And I will go out and find my purpose instead of living up to the purpose you say I have. Goodbye, father. Maybe if you treat Hiroshi better than I, then he might not bring shame to you. Maybe he'll be a better son then I was as a daughter."_

"I was really little, but I can remember clearly how she did something that no one ever could have done…She stood up to her own father, and she didn't care what the consequences were. Hiroshi would always tell me that when he was old enough to leave the village, then he would go to the Leaf Village too. He was always saying how he would do anything for his older sister, and how he would protect her. But since she's gone now…"

"He's making it up by protecting his her legacy." Tsunade realized, Yuna nodding.

"When Hikari first came to the mountains with Hiroshi, everyone was so shocked because it was the first time most of us had seen an outsider come into our sanctuary. But a lot of the people were shocked, because she looked exactly like her mother did. Takahiro even thought it was Kaori…until he saw her up close."

"Does Hikari know that she's his granddaughter?"

Yuna shook her head. "No. Takahiro blames himself for ruining his relationship with his only daughter. If Hikari knew that he was her grandpa, she would ask him many things. He doesn't want Hikari to know that he was the reason Kaori left in the first place. I think he just doesn't feel ready to tell her. Hikari probably wouldn't care about it, but…well, Takahiro would rather keep it to where she doesn't know. He cried when he found who she was from me. It was very…sad."

"Yuna…Hiroshi went to go look for her, didn't he?"

"Yes. He went to look for Hikari. He's going to bring her back home."

* * *

"Well?"

"…Hm…"

"Would you hurry up!" Karin screeched loudly, backing away from Hikari as Yoru let out a loud growl.

Hikari's eyes remained closed, a small frown on her face. "If you have no patience, I suggest you learn to get some."

Karin glared angrily at the brunette, keeping her mouth shut while Sasuke talked. "Did it find anything yet?"

Hikari's eyes finally opened and she turned to look at Sasuke, nodding her head in confirmation as a hawk flew overhead, flying down and landing on Hikari's extended arm, the Sarutobi girl gently petting its head. "Yeah. It's about 10 minutes away now."

"Let's go."

Everyone followed Sasuke. Like Hikari had said, their destination had only been 10 minutes away from where they had been. They stood in front of a set of stairs, waiting for the person who lived just a little ways up them to come down the stairs. Hikari frowned in distaste when the sound of someone rapping reached her ears. Yoru let out a small sound of distaste as well, glancing back at her pathetically. She smiled slightly, patting his head until she was forced to stop when the person who had been rapping jumped down in front of the stairs and stared at all of them, several blades strapped onto his back and two bull horns tattooed on his cheeks.

"Are you the Jinchuriki host of the Eight-Tails?" Sasuke asked coolly as a strong breeze blew by, blowing some of his hair around.

The man's eyes weren't visible, due to the shades that hid them, but Hikari could tell he was a bit displeased with how Sasuke had spoken to him by his tone. "No, it's Lord Eight-Tails. Okay?" He pointed at Sasuke, "Say, 'Are you Lord Jinchuriki?' Okay?"

Sasuke ignored the order given to him, "I'm here to capture you."

'_Well, that was blunt.' _Hikari thought, pushing her hair out of her face as some wind blew it into it.

"No. You have to say, 'Please allow me to capture you, sir.' Okay? Right?"

Sasuke didn't care. "Suigetsu, you take the right. Jugo, you take the left. Karin, get behind me. Hikari, stay in the center."

They all did as they had been instructed, and Hikari frowned, finding it weird being stuck in the very middle, though she had a pretty good idea as to why. Suigetsu attacked the man first, and he called them all fools as Suigetsu hit him, the ground flying apart as a result of the impact while Jugo reminded them all of something important.

"We can't kill the Jinchuriki. Isn't that what the Akatsuki told us, Suigetsu?"

"It's all right," Karin assured, "I can feel his chakra."

The dust cleared to reveal the Eight-Tails host holding the tip of Suigetsu's sword back, Suigetsu struggling to keep a hold of it. Finally, he lost his grip and the blade went flying, landing in the earth next to the Jinchuriki host. Jugo stepped forward, a bored expression on his calm face. "Suigetsu, get back."

Reluctantly, he moved, and the Eight-tails host lifted his blade and looked through the circular hole in it at Jugo.

"I'm peeking through…And see you alive…But y'all are so brainless!"

"Stop joking around!" Jugo ordered, dashing forward.

"My thirst for blood is my courage…Making me so optimistic!"

Hikari watched in shock as he spun Suigetsu's blade around his neck, amazed at how he hadn't cut his head off from it. She gasped as the hilt of it hit Jugo, her eyes widening when she saw that Jugo's curse mark had made itself know as Jugo began to change a bit. She couldn't believe what she was seeing when the host managed to knock Jugo back in the from he was in.

"I've got spare power and my appeal is glowing, Eight-Tails the bridge. Killer Bee, that's me! Ah! Yay! Start fighting and you're gonna be embarrassed. 'Cuz you'll be torn apart…" He suddenly stopped, his expression blank. "Bit my tongue…"

"Wh-what's with this guy? He's totally crazy, but that Jugo…" Karin said, Hikari frowning as she looked over at the fallen orange haired boy.

"You made me bite my tongue…Fools!" Killer Bee said, Hikari's eye twitching at the name.

Jugo's curse mark receded as he sat up, only to be kicked back down by Killer Bee before he was picked up by the back of his shirt and thrown down at Sasuke's feet.

"Jugo!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Are you all right?" Karin asked, her tone sounding worried.

"Yeah…" Jugo grunted out, Sasuke frowning down at him before looking up at Killer Bee.

"I'll go." He began to move forward, and Hikari ran over to Jugo, helping him up to his feet before her eyes trailed after Sasuke.

"Who the heck are you all? Fools…You fools!"

"This guy's getting on my nerves!" Suigetsu hissed, Hikari nodding in agreement.

"Who are you? Why would you capture me? Huh?" Killer Bee asked Sasuke, who stared at him with an emotionless face.

"We don't owe you an explanation."

"A guy who talks in weird verses…is such a pain to deal with." Suigetsu stated.

"You got that right…" Hikari mumbled quietly, gently removing Jugo's hand from his injured arm, pushing the sleeve of his coat up to check it out.

"It's to obtain power as quickly as possible," Sasuke said, the words being directed at Suigetsu, "If you don't like it, leave."

"Tsk…"

"I also want to confirm whether the Akatsuki's verbal promise is true or false and get it over with." Sasuke's Kusangi fell from his sleeve and into his awaiting hand, gripping the hilt of it tightly, "Either way, we're the ones who are going to use the Akatsuki. Keep that in mind."

"That goes without question." Jugo said quietly, Hikari silent while Suigetsu smirked and Karin blushed.

"Well then, let's get to it and silence this irritating rapper." Suigetsu said, Sasuke smirking.

"I intend to."

A strong gust of wind blew by, Hikari reaching up to pat her hair down and keep it from flying in her face.

She didn't like where this was going.

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_Preview for chapter 62~_

**Hikari: We found the host of Eight-tails. He calls himself Killer Bee, an odd name if you ask me. He talks in strange verses too. But that's not what bothers me. He was able to take down Jugo and Suigetsu. And now, Sasuke is gonna go one on one with him…It worries me, because…I don't know if anyone can beat this guy…**

_**NEXT TIME-The Eight Tails vs. Sasuke!**_

**A/N: Yup, sorry for the long wait ^-^ I've been busy! But here it is, and I'm starting on the next chapter already! LEAVE A REVIEW! LATER TATERS!**


	62. The Eight Tails vs Taka!

**A/N: Lalalala! So…yeah…What to say, what to say…Honestly, I don't have much to say, except to give a few personal shout-outs to the people that reviewed last chapter :D! Thank you to Azura Soul Reaver, Shifuni, MikaUchiha666, Aiko Tachibana, and Kaila maya the whater, for all reviewing the last chapter! You guys rule! So, this chapter…not sure what will happen, since I'm writing this note before anything else XD So, enjoy! Here's a picture that I recently made. I'm sure you SasuHikari Fans will like it XD! No space, kay? http:/ prettystar78. deviantart. com/ art/ These -Tears- I- shed- 216679227**

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"Let's get to it and silence this irritating rapper!" Suigetsu exclaimed, Hikari frowning as she listened to his words.

"I intend to." Sasuke assured.

"It's not irritating!" Killer Bee objected, "It's cool rhythms and rhymes. You fool! Ah! Yeah!"

"He's really…irritating!" Karin shouted, balling her hand into a fist, "He's got zero rapping talent!"

"I second that…" Hikari muttered softly.

"What? You fool! You jerk!"

"**WILL YOU SHUT UP?" **

Sasuke had suddenly moved, leaping up into the air with his Kusangi readied to strike down Killer Bee. Seeing as how Suigetsu's blade was still in the Jinchuriki hosts' possession, he grabbed it and blocked the attack, sending Sasuke flying, while he began to spin around, aiming to hit Sasuke as he landed on his feet. He managed to block it, only to be pushed back by the force. Hikari watched in awe as he managed to land a kick, only to have that feeling of amazement go away as she saw the sudden look on Killer Bee's face. He reached a hand up, and Hikari thought he meant to grab Sasuke, until…

"W…what's he doing writing down something at a time like this?" Hikari asked no one in particular, while Sasuke threw Suigetsu's sword back to him.

"I'm feeling good right now. Just came up with the greatest rhyme. Thank you."

Sasuke simply glared.

"That's why I'll play with you…You foolish baby!" He placed a hand on the blade strapped to his back, before he threw it up in the air to reveal not one, but eight blades.

"Watch out, Sasuke! This guy's used to handling blades!" Suigetsu warned, "He's no ordinary ninja!"

Hikari's face was one that looked calm with everything that was happening in front of her. Only, if everyone had seen her shaking hands that remained at her sides, they would've said otherwise.

**The Eight-Tails vs. Taka!**

"Wha-!"

"What's with that stance?"

Hikari opened her mouth to comment, only to stop as stinging feeling hit her shoulder. She grunted softly, Yoru looking up in time to see her wince slightly as she reached a hand to touch her shoulder.

'_Hikari…?'_

Hikari glanced back at her shoulder, keeping her thoughts to herself. _'Oh no…not now! Please, not now! Go away and come back later!' _

"GYAH!"

Hikari turned her attention back the battle, gasping quietly as she saw Sasuke hit the ground and roll."Sasuke! Are you all right?" Karin shouted worriedly.

"What's with those moves?" Suigetsu asked, "I can't read through his line of attack."

Hikari watched as Sasuke's hand began to glow with electricity. She was unable to focus on anymore of the attack, due to Yoru nudging her side.

"What?"

'_Hikari…are you okay?'_

She began to nod, only to stop as another sting of pain coursed through her shoulder, causing her to reach her hand back up to it hold it, looking up in time to see several blades go through Sasuke and him falling to the ground.

"Sasuke!" Karin screamed, and Jugo began to take off for him with Suigetsu right behind him, along with Karin, Hikari passing all three of them as she went flying past them, katana in her hand.

"And this is the finishing sting!"

Sasuke looked up in time to see Killer Bee falling towards him, blade first. But…never felt the hit and the pain. What he did feel was pieces of dirt falling on his face and seeing several sparks fly off as blades connected with each other.

"I can tolerate your horrible rapping…but I will _not_ allow you to kill him." Hikari said darkly, keeping the roots she had summoned over Sasuke hovering over him to protect him, while Suigetsu held Killer Bee's blade away from touching the roots. While Suigetsu struggled to keep hold him back, Sasuke cut through Hikari's tree roots with Chidori, helping Suigetsu while Jugo came flying from the other side in his curse mode form, punching the host and sending him flying back. Hikari and Karin pulled Sasuke away from the battle together. Karin pulled one blade out quickly, blood instantly beginning to pour out from the wound. Hikari slapped the red-heads hands away.

"Are you insane? You pull them out like that then he'll bleed to death!" Karin didn't remove anymore of them, and Hikari looked down at Sasuke. "Sasuke, are you all right?"

"Nngh…"

Hikari made a sound of worry as she began to channel chakra to her hand, ignoring the pain it caused to burn in her shoulder while she used her other hand to carefully remove the rest of the blades. The glow in her hand suddenly disappeared, and she began to pant heavily, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Karin, you'll have to do it…I don't have enough chakra…" She looked away as Sasuke bit Karin's arm, Yoru padding over to her. She leaned against him, resisting the urge to whimper as the pain intensified.

'_Of all the times…why the hell did it have to be now?'_

"_**There are 3 stages to the Godaigon. The first level, which you have already, the second level, and the third level. The second level is more like an advanced level of the first stage. It allows you to use more of the elements and enhances your control over them. The third level, though…is the most dangerous. You can't suddenly activate it like you can with the second level. It comes around when you least expect it to. You lose control, and your energy, and you get sick. It comes with a price. Near death, or sometimes, much worse. It's always best to have someone with the knowledge on how to help you stay alive around."**_

Hikari mentally cursed as Hiroshi's voice echoed in her head, _'Damn! I don't have anyone here with the proper knowledge! If…if I just stay calm and don't use up anymore of my chakra, that might stall it for a while longer…and it won't happen for a few more months, and if I'm lucky, a few years….If it doesn't stall…I'll have to take care of myself and use the knowledge that Hiroshi gave me…I think it's in that book he gave me…did I even bring that? And if I get out of control, I can always use the sedative I have in my bag! But…if Sasuke or the others get hurt, how can I keep them safe? If I use anymore chakra, who knows what might happen? Please…please don't make it where I have to jump in again, guys…I can probably make the pain stop for now with some herbs…' _she pulled the pouch she had hanging from her waist off and opened it up, pulling out several herbal leaves and popping them in her mouth, enduring the bitter taste they had and chewing them quickly, swallowing fast and resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at how bitter they were. When she glanced over to the side, she noticed everyone had regrouped, and Suigetsu was breathing heavily as he was kneeled on the ground in a puddle of water. Karin suddenly pointed over to the other side of the mountain, Hikari figuring out that the Eight-Tails host was over there now. Before she could say anything, Sasuke was already sent flying towards the mountain. Ten seconds later, Hikari spotted a red blob flying towards them.

"First, you guys will be torn apart!"

Hikari was on Yoru's back within seconds, the tiger leaping down to the ground below where Jugo had taken Karin and Suigetsu. She felt something hit the back of her head and yet out a yelp of pain, reaching back to rub the spot. She brought her hand back around to find little blood on it. She looked over at the others in time to see Suigetsu go flying into the water. Sasuke landed by her side and asked everyone if they were all right, and Suigetsu poked his head out from the water.

"Hikari?"

She nodded her head quietly, opening her bag and pulling some gauze out. "Nothing serious….Just a small bump on the back of my head. Something I can patch up quickly." She assure while she ripped off a piece of gauze from the roll with her teeth.

"Karin! Read his chakra and predict his movements! Stay on him and keep me informed of his location at all times!" Sasuke ordered, seeing something jump out of the dirt cloud from the corner of his eye.

"That's if you can keep up with me!"

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke made no move to get out of the way, and suddenly, the Eight-Tails host fell to the ground. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, Hikari moving to stand next to Sasuke. "Hey…?"

"NNGH!" He grunted in pain, covering up his left eye. Before more could be said, Hikari was suddenly pushed out of the way and into the water by him, unable to see the reason why. She swam back up to the surface, coughing from the unwanted water she had swallowed when she had fallen in. She noticed Sasuke in Jugo's arms, Karin kneeling down next to them.

"His neck and chest portion have been blown off, organs and all." Jugo explained to Karin as Hikari crawled out of the water and over to them, her eyes widening as she saw the gaping hole in Sasuke's chest. "He's beyond our…" Jugo grunted softly, closing his eyes. Hikari felt her eyes watering slightly, causing her to shake her head before she knelt down next to him.

"_**Most ninja teams have medical Ninjas on them in case one of the members gets injured. Even if you're not a fully certified medic nin, it's always best to learn how to heal your comrades and create certain medicines and learn how to do certain medical jutsu's in case something should happen to your medic nin, or you're in an area where they're not around."**_

Yuna's words echoed in Hikari's head as she was about to channel some chakra to her own hand, when Jugo's slightly larger one stopped it, holding her wrist gently. She looked up at him with curious eyes to see a determined look on his face.

"I'll do it."

"How?"

His curse mark began to show up on his face, "I'll distribute my body and chakra to Sasuke by merging with him. Since his body was compatible with my curse mark, it should work."

Hikari only nodded, her head shooting to the side when the Eight-Tails host began to shout.

"Your illusions I obliterate, then you all I shall annihilate. My true from of the Jinchuriki…It's a monster, so watch it now. Host Transformation, yeah…"

An involuntary shiver a fear went down Hikari's spine as she took in the true from of the Eight-Tails. "Holy…"

"Eight-Tails will make you pee your pants, you lil' ants!" The ox-octopus looking creature shouted, Karin falling back a bit from the shock. It suddenly shouted, causing a gust of wind to fly at them.

"Jugo, are you done yet?" Karin shouted. Hikari watched as the orange top pulled his hand away to reveal Sasuke's now healed chest, the Uchiha letting out a soft grunt as he opened his eyes slightly. The Sarutobi girl let out a sigh of relief, while Karin helped him sit up. "All right, Jugo…Huh?"

"Jugo…"

Hikari frowned as she saw Jugo panting heavily, the both wearing a determined look on his face. "I won't let you die…You're a memento of Kimimaro…"

"Come on! Hurry! We gotta run!" Karin exclaimed, Hikari shooting a glare at her.

"Would you-" She was cut off by a loud shout, causing her to look over at the water to see the Eight-Tails coming right at them, only to be stopped as a large…blob of water shot up and blocked its way.

"Suigetsu!"

"I'll take over from here!" Suigetsu shouted, pushing back the monster again, "Run while you can!"

"Suigetsu…" Sasuke grunted out while Karin led him away, Hikari, Jugo, and Yoru following after them.

A loud noise caused Karin to look back, her eyes widening. "Th-That really doesn't look good."

"Don't look back! Just keep running!" Hikari exclaimed as soon as she saw the large dark orb that the Eight-Tails was making. Everything happened so fast, and the next thing she knew, they were all on the water, surrounding Suigetsu…at least, she thought they were.

"Suigetsu is wasted…Damn it!" Karin cursed, looking over at Sasuke, "We can't get away…What'll we do?"

Sasuke glanced at Suigetsu, then Jugo, then Karin, and lastly, Hikari, his eyes remaining on her. Feeling someone's stare, she looked over at Sasuke, a tired look on her face.

"_Here, Sasuke! Hurry up and bite me!" _

"_I won't let you die…You're a memento of Kimimaro."_

"_I'll take over from here! Run while you can!"_

"_I can tolerate your horrible rapping…but I will __**not **__allow you to kill him." _

Sasuke closed his eyes, the image of Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, and a younger Hikari popping into his mind.

The Eight-Tails let out a loud battle cry, wind blowing harshly at them.

"He's coming!"

Hikari watched as the tail came flying towards them, expecting to see a bright light to give the sign that she was dead, when instead, black flames engulfed the front of beast, her eyes widening when she realized what had happened. Jugo picked up Suigetsu and watched with wide eyes as the beast fell into the water as it writhed in pain, Sasuke's hand flying up to his now bleeding right eye. Water hit Hikari, soaking her clothes and all. As a tentacle got closer, both she and Karin gasped, Karin grabbing Jugo as he held Suigetsu, while Hikari grabbed Sasuke and jumped onto Yoru's back with him, all of them taking off, only to be hit and knocked down by a larger wave. Sasuke sliced off a tentacle that had nearly crushed Karin. As more tentacles came out from the water, Sasuke ordered Karin to run, the girl only getting hit, the black flames now on her back. While Sasuke and Jugo argued about getting out of there and staying behind, Hikari watched as the flames on the red-heads back suddenly died, Sasuke suddenly grunting in pain loudly, the boy clutching his head.

"Jugo! Get Karin! Hurry!"

The flames were suddenly extinguished off of the Eight-Tails, and Sasuke nearly fell over, Hikari grabbing him to keep him standing.

"The Eight-Tails…it seems he's barely alive." Jugo said quietly.

"Then…we managed to take down the Eight-Tails without killing him. Let's grab him and go."

* * *

Hikari frowned as Sasuke carried the fallen host over his shoulder. "Sasuke, you can put on Yoru's back and he can-"

"It's fine." Sasuke assured, panting heavily. Jugo glanced over at him.

"You seem quite affected, physically. Especially since, in addition to losing Orochimaru's curse mark, you haven't quite healed from your last battle against Itachi." Jugo said with a frown, Sasuke looking over at him and nodding.

"Yeah…Though I really didn't expect we'd have such a fight on our hands. But now…"

Hikari sighed quietly from her place next to him, mentally whimpering as another sting of pain went through her shoulder. "Damn…" _'It's no use…It can't be delayed for much longer…' _Hikari thought worriedly, rubbing the back of her shoulder.

"_**Hiroshi-sensei?"**_

"_**Hm?"**_

"_**What does the third stage really do?"**_

"…_**It gives you the ability to use two of the most strongest elements."**_

"_**Which are what, exactly?"**_

"_**Light and Darkness."**_

'_And to use such strong powers…I have to pay a price…'_

* * *

**A/N:…Meh, this was boring! But it's something action-y, right? Also, should there be a lemon in this story? LEAVE A REVIEW, AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, YEAH? LATER TATERS!**


	63. Sad news and Love Revealed!

**A/N:WOOH! OVER 300 reviews :D! Ah, like Kago of the Funk asked in her review, I am uploading once more XD Lol, I was out of town for a week, but I worked on this while I was gone! Everyone voted for a lemon, so this chapter contains a lemon! I think….anyway, on we go!**

**WARNINGWARNINGWARNING!~ This chapter may OR may not contain a SasuHikari lemon scene! I'm not sure because I'm writing this note before the chapter…BUT I SHALL WARN YOU NONETHELESS! If you are under the age that is appropriate to be reading Mature content, don't read the lemon part and skip past it (if you can, since I don't know if there's anything after it XD) or just read the first part of this chapter and not the rest. I'm pretty sure most of you that read this are age appropriate to read Lemon, so whatever. BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED SO DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU! THIS STORY IS RATED M FOR A REASON XD! So…enjoy!**

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto walked into the Hokage's office to find several toads, Sai and Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade, and Yuna, Kakashi standing a few ways away in front of Naruto. Yuna's hair was shadowing her blue eyes, Naruto unable to see them. Sakura had a small frown of sadness on her face and Tsunade's eyes held a small hint of some sort of emotion in them as she stared at Naruto.

Naruto moved forward, and the smallest toad looked him over. "He is Jiraiya-boy's student?"

"Yes…This is Naruto Uzumaki…" Tsunade confirmed, "The 'Child of Prophecy' you mentioned."

Naruto glanced over at the old frog, "A geezer frog? What the hell?"

"Hey! Watch your mouth, Naruto! This is Lord Fukasaku, one of the Two Great Sages of Mount Myoboku. He came all the way here to speak with you."

"Well, to be more accurate, I am a Great Sage Toad. But never mind that. You are, without a doubt, Jiraiya-boy's student."

"Jiraiya-boy? 'Boy?'" Naruto frowned angrily while pointing a finger at the old toad, "You're talking as if the Pervy Sage is a kid! Who does this geezer frog think he is?"

"I said watch your mouth!" Tsunade yelled.

"This great man is the one who taught Sage Jutsu to Lord Jiraiya. He is Lord Jiraiya's master." Shizune clarified, Naruto's eyes widening while the old toad laughed.

"Pervy Sage, eh? What a fitting nickname for Jiraiya-boy."

"So what does this geezer sage want with me?"

Fukasaku hung his head down in sadness. "I'm not sure where to begin. But let's see…I suppose the most important thing is…" the old frogs eyes were closed for a bit longer before he opened them and looked at Naruto. "Jiraiya-boy has died in battle."

Yuna let out a quiet choked sob, and that was all it took for Naruto to understand that this was no sick joke.

* * *

_**Elsewhere~**_

"Are you all right, Sasuke?" Jugo asked, still carrying Karin and Suigetsu while Sasuke had sat down on a rock, breathing heavily.

"Yeah…Let's hurry. We're almost at the rendezvous point." Sasuke stood and slung the unconscious Eight-Tails host over his shoulder and led the way, Hikari and Jugo right behind him. When they reached the designated area, Sasuke threw down his cargo, Killer Bee landing with a thud. Madara was sitting not too far away, Hikari standing behind Sasuke as means to hide. "As promised, I brought the Eight-Tails."

"You did well. I had faith that you could do it." Madara complimented. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him before turning around, only to bump into Hikari when he realized she was standing directly behind him. He stared down at her for a minute before turning her around and nudging her forward, Jugo walking out of the room first. "Where are you going?"

Sasuke stopped and Hikari continued on, heading to the room she had been given. She fell down onto the bed and groaned, before rolling over to stare at the ceiling for a moment. After staring at it for a few minutes, she stood up and walked over to her bags, pulling out some clean clothes. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her shirt, throwing it off to the side. Before she could manage to pull the clean one on, the door flying open and Sasuke walking in before shutting the door behind him stopped her. Hikari's scream caused him to look up quickly, heat flooding into his cheeks.

"**KYYYYYAAAAAH! DON'T LOOK, DON'T LOOK! IDIOT!" **Hikari screamed, her face red as she used the clean shirt to hide her exposed front. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, slipping the shirt on as soon as she was inside and changing her shorts into some comfortable loose ones before she walked out to find Sasuke still standing where he was, his face no longer red. She glared at him as she walked over to her bags. "Ever heard of knocking?" She didn't get a response from him, and he began to take off his shirt, Hikari's glare disappearing when she realized what he was here for. She sighed softly, taking his shirt and setting it down next to him before moving over to her bags and pulling out all her medical supplies. As she was about to cut some gauze off the roll she had, Sasuke stopped her by grabbing her wrist, causing her to look at his face.

"Can't you just use medical ninjutsu?"

She glanced back at her shoulder. _'Maybe…just a little wouldn't hurt.' _She began to channel charka to her hands, only to stop as pain seared through her shoulder. "Nngh…" _'No…it's better to not try and risk the chance of activating the third stage faster then needed. I need to look through my stuff and see if I brought that book with me.'_

"What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"Nothing…it's just a bit sore…I don't have enough chakra to heal you, so you're going to just have to deal with bandages and herbs for now." She resisted the urge to laugh at the disgusted look that appeared on his face at mention of herbs while she began to clean his wounds, earning hisses of pain as she did so. "Sorry that it stings…" Hikari said softly, pressing the washcloth to another cut on Sasuke's back. As soon as the wounds to his back were patched up and cleaned, she moved around to the front, pulling out some ointment and gathering some on her finger. She gently touched a small cut on Sasuke's right cheek and dabbed the ointment on it. The familiar action caused Sasuke's eyes to widen slightly, Hikari's image being replaced with that of his mother's for a split second. He watched the image change back into Hikari, who was sticking her tongue out as she frowned while trying to put a small bandage on the cut she had just treated.

"There!" Hikari exclaimed mostly to herself cheerfully, grabbing the washcloth and starting on the chest wounds and shoulders. She frowned when she noticed there were relatively more cuts on his front than his back. "Duck-butt, why do you always have to go and get a bunch of wounds?"

"Hn. You're one to talk, Karasu…" Sasuke mumbled, touching the spot where she had gotten hit in the back of the head, causing her to wince. She slapped his hand away.

"Idiot, don't touch it!" Hikari hissed, "Besides, you have more cuts than I do…" to prove her point, she gestured to him and pointed out the obvious wounds that marred his pale skin. As she began to treat a cut that was over his left eyebrow, he flinched as the disinfectant on the cloth stung the open cut, Hikari mumbling softly for him to be still. When he flinched again, she frowned impatiently and grabbed both sides of his face and stared him straight in the eye. "Stop moving."

"Stop using that stupid piece of cloth."

She glared, "Not until I've cleaned every single wound you have." Just to frustrate her more, he moved purposely, causing her to grip his face tighter. "Will you-"

He cut her off by clashing his lips with hers in a clumsy kiss, his hands cupping her face so she couldn't pull away, earning muffled sounds of protest and surprise from her. His eyes were shut tightly, trying to pull her deeper into the kiss. Hikari just stood there, her hands falling from his face to lay limp by her sides, her eyes still wide open from the sudden shock and…roughness of the kiss. She felt her face growing hot, her body seeming to tingle all over as she finally responded to the kiss, kissing him back gently while he continued to kiss her roughly. This was so different from any of the other kisses they had shared. She couldn't pinpoint why, but she could feel it.

This kiss was full of passion, longing…and love.

Sasuke pulled back a little bit, allowing Hikari to catch her breath again. "Stupid Karasu," he murmured quietly as he grabbed the washcloth from her limp hand and threw it somewhere in the room.

"Idiot Duck-butt," she countered softly, making the move to turn away, only to have Sasuke gently grab the sides of her face again and stare right down into her eyes before attacking her lips again. He ran his tongue over her lower lip, Hikari complying, albeit nervously. Sasuke had never gone this far with their few kisses. His tongue explored the crevices of her mouth eagerly, before he pushed his tongue against hers, teasing her. His hands left her face to rest on her waist, and she wasn't even aware that he was moving them backwards until she felt her back hit the wall gently. Sasuke pulled away and rested his hands on her shoulders, his onyx eyes taking in her flushed and breathless form. "Sasuke, what are you doing?" Hikari asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Sasuke stared at her for a moment before leaning back in. Hikari thought he was going to kiss her again, but instead he leaned into her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin and making a shiver of delight run down her spine.

"Finally doing something that I should've done sooner," he whispered before gently trailing his soft lips on her neck. Hikari's lips trembled slightly while her eyelashes fluttered slightly. He kept his hands firmly on her shoulders, making sure she stayed still, and Hikari began to ask why she wasn't trying to stop him from going any farther into what he was going to do. She really didn't care anymore. Her body was enjoying the pleasure too much for any rational thought to reach through to her.

Sasuke's tongue flicked out from his mouth and gently lapped over one sensitive spot on Hikari's neck, earning a soft whimper from her as her body twitched slightly. "S-Sasuke…"

God! It was such a turn on to hear his name come from her mouth sounding like that! His member throbbed as his name reached his ears, causing him to gently nip at the sensitive spot, Hikari whimpering again, just a little more loudly this time. Sasuke slipped his hands under the large t-shirt Hikari had changed into, his fingers gently caressing her stomach and circling around her bellybutton.

The kisses just weren't enough anymore. He grabbed Hikari's chin with his free hand and gently moved her head so he could have more access to her neck. As he continued to nip, suck, lick, and kiss her neck, Hikari let her hands trace up his toned chest, pleased that he had taken his shirt off earlier. She let her fingernails gently scrape his stomach, earning a soft groan from him. He pressed himself closer to her, pulling his lips away from her neck to look down at her. Part of the shirt slid off of her shoulder, revealing a fuchsia colored bra strap. Sasuke thanked God for whoever the shirt had previously belonged to for being so big. Her flushed formed made his member throb even more when he realized that he had caused her to be in this sort of state.

Sasuke watched Hikari with onyx eyes full of lust and want, scanning over her form slowly, taking every part of her in. Sasuke trailed a finger gently over her face, tracing the outline of it, his finger stopping at her lips, where he kept it gently pressed. Hikari gently kissed his finger and Sasuke pulled it away to replace it with his lips, kissing her softly before pulling back and pressing his forehead to hers. His hands began to slowly proceed further upwards, his eyes not leaving Hikari's face. As they trailed up her stomach, it felt like they left a trail of fire behind, Hikari softly moaning at the sensation, whimpering loudly when Sasuke's hands cupped her breasts. She nibbled on her bottom lip when he gently squeezed them, her mouth falling open a bit as she let out another soft moan, her eyes fluttering shut slightly. She could still feel his lust filled gaze on her as he continued to tease her. He suddenly stopped and pulled his hands out from under her shirt, allowing them to rest on the bottom of the shirt where he began to softly tug at it before his lips went back to her neck, a small smirk forming on his face as Hikari let out a louder moan than before as he licked that one sensitive spot on her neck again. As he continuously tugged on the bottom of her shirt, Hikari had lost all sense of logical thought, lifting her arms up a bit so he could slip it over her head.

Sasuke threw the shirt somewhere uncaringly, unconsciously licking his lips at the sight of more skin revealed to him. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, lapping at it for a minute before he gently nipped at it, Hikari crying out softly as he did so, a rush of excitement and warmth filling the pit of her stomach and lower abdomen. Sasuke's hands easily reached back and unclasped her bra, pulling it off and throwing it off somewhere uncaringly. He stopped kissing her shoulder and pulled back to stare at her face. Hikari let out a whimper as the cold air of the room hit her now very exposed front, small goose bumps forming on her arms. Sasuke studied her chest, seeing what he could do now. He gently pinched a pert pink nub, Hikari gasping loudly from the sensation, her head hitting the wall as she threw it back softly. It felt so good! Too good to try and stop it.

Sasuke knelt down in front of her and watched her face carefully as he slid his tongue from his mouth and flicked it over the pink nub, Hikari moaning loudly as he did so. She practically writhed as his mouth engulfed it, suckling it softly while his other hand gave the neglected one some attention, Hikari's hands gripping his shoulders to keep herself from falling to the floor in pleasure. He suddenly stopped and Hikari stared at him as he stood back to his full height.

"W-why did you stop?" she stuttered, the lust apparent in her smirked down at her and suddenly she felt her feet being swiped right from underneath her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her bridle style over to the large bed that occupied the room, excitement coursing through her entire being as Sasuke slowly lowered her onto the bed.

He looked down at Hikari as he hovered over her body. Her breasts were still exposed to him so she quickly tried to cover them with her arms. Sasuke suddenly grabbed her wrists, pinning her hands above her head, his nose almost touching hers.

"Don't hide your body," Sasuke said quietly, pressing his lips to hers again. Hikari's hands fumbled with the stupid purple rope that was bound around his hips. She managed to untie the ridiculous knot it was in and threw it off somewhere in the room much like Sasuke had done with her shirt and bra earlier, the cloth that was draped under it falling with it. Hikari let her hands roam around, up his back and over his shoulder, and then down to his abdomen, caressing his skin, trying to memorize every inch of it.

Sasuke groaned as her slender fingers came dangerously close to the waistband of his pants, too close to his hardened member. He ground her hips into hers, a loud whimper followed by a moan coming from her as heat shot from her core through her entire body. She arched her back in attempt to close the distance between them. A smirk appeared on his face before it disappeared as he hooked his fingers around the hem of her shorts and pulled them down, leaving her in only her panties as he threw her shorts off somewhere to the other side of the room like he had done with the rest of her clothes. He leant down and sucked on her collarbone while sliding his hand down her stomach, slipping it inside the one piece of clothing she still had on.

"A-ah…" Hikari whimpered as one of Sasuke fingers came in contact with her heated center, pressing that sensitive button that made her throw her head back in pleasure as he rubbed it a little bit. Sasuke watched her facial expressions closely as he moved his finger a little bit more, moving it in fast circles around against that pleasure button, Hikari's back arching off of the bed as she quietly gasped and moaned. Finally, he slipped a finger in, Hikari gasping loudly, not in pain, but from the surprise.

"Mmm, you're _so _wet, Hikari…And to think it's all because of me…" Sasuke murmured in her ear.

His velvety voice sent shivers of pleasure and arousal down her spine, a soft and quiet moan escaping her lips as he pumped that one finger he had slipped inside of her, an even louder one coming from her as he slipped another digit it and began to pump them, stretching her. He kissed her and she moaned into his mouth, whimpering when he suddenly stopped in pulled his fingers out, bringing them up to his mouth. Hikari felt her face heat up as she watched his tongue slip from his mouth and lick his fingers clean, Sasuke smirking while he did so.

"You taste nice…"

"I-idiot…stop teasing me…"

Sasuke chuckled, "But it's so much fun to watch you writhe around when I touch you…and to hear you moan and whimper…" He nipped at her neck and sucked on it hard, pulling away and mentally nodding at the mark he had made.

That mark signified that Hikari was his and his alone. Not anyone else's. Just his and his alone. Anyone else who tried to touch her, he would see to it that they were thrown down to hells doorstep.

She was _his…_

He was suddenly pushed around, his attention lost while he had been thinking. His head hit the pillow and he stared up at Hikari, who had successfully managed to get on top, the scene making Sasuke's member throb even more, his pants feeling incredibly tight, that it was painful. Hikari leaned down and licked his neck, a small groan that he had tried to hold back escaping him. Encouraged by the sound, she nipped, grinding against him and moaning softly herself. She began to suck on his neck, pulling back and lapping at the mark she had made, before kissing her way down to Sasuke's chest, her tongue flicking out to lick at a nipple, Sasuke groaning loudly at how erotic the whole scene looked.

Male pride getting the best of him, he flipped them back over and undid his pants, kicking them off and reaching for Hikari's last piece of clothing, ripping it off and throwing it to the other side of the room. Hikari blushed and whimpered at the sight in front of her.

"Sasuke…"

When he had gotten rid of his pants was beyond her. But that's not what surprised her the most…but the size of his-

"Like what you see, Karasu?" Sasuke asked in a teasing voice, a smirk on his face causing Hikari to glare at him and blush.

"Idiot…"

"Hn…What's the matter, afraid that I won't fit or something?" Sasuke teased, playing with one of her nipples, earning a quite moan from her.

"S-stop screwing around, duck butt!" Hikari hissed at him, causing him to smirk.

"What are you talking about? We haven't even started screwing around yet, Hikari…"

If she didn't feel like a pile of goo, she would've slugged him for such a smutty comment.

She pouted and looked up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Please, Sasuke…Don't tease me anymore…"

He teased her no more after that and positioned himself at her entrance, looking into her caramel eyes for permission. She didn't care anymore and nodded.

With one swift motion, he pushed inside her, her eyes widening as his size stretched her walls, a loud moan coming from her while he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Y-you're so tight!" Sasuke hissed through his teeth, groaning softly as Hikari's walls clenched around his throbbing member, his eyes shut in utter bliss. Hikari felt pain, and pleasure, the two mixing together, causing tears to begin to fall from her eyes as she sobbed softly. Sasuke moved to look at her, reaching his hand up and wiping them away with his thumbs, gently. He kept still, waiting for her to adjust before he moved anymore, though it was rather difficult to hold back from moving instantly. Finally, Hikari stopped sobbing.

"M-move…"

Sasuke nodded and looked at her seriously, "I'll go slow…I promise." Sasuke assured, before he began to thrust slowly, making sure Hikari was comfortable.

All the pain eventually subsided and it felt as if Hikari were in paradise, causing her to moan softly. "P-please…go f-faster…"

It turned Sasuke even more on as she pleaded, complying with her request and picking up the pace a little bit. Hikari's hands ran down his back, her fingernails gently scraping across it, earning a soft groan from him as he smashed his lips to hers again, one of his hands reaching down to grip one of her hips to help her match his thrusts. When she got the rhythm down, she could feel herself sliding against the sheets of the bed. Sasuke's thrusts grew harder and faster, seeming more desperate. Hikari suddenly saw stars as he hit a certain spot, causing her to nearly scream at how good it felt.

"Say my name…"

"W-what?"

"Say my name!"

She moaned his name quietly, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke's member throbbed upon hearing his name come from her mouth, causing him to pick up the pace a bit more. "Louder…say it louder…"

She complied with his request, "Nnnggh, S-Sasuke…"

"Louder!"

"Sasuke!" She screamed, feeling her climax getting closer. Sasuke was moving fast now, his groans and pants mixing with her moans, and her back arched off of the bed, because she needed to feeling him deeper inside of her. He leaned down to her ear, giving a throat groan.

"Come on…cum, Hikari…" He sucked on her neck and she screamed, her walls clenching around him tightly as she went over the edge, moaning at how it felt. Finally, Sasuke released shortly afterwards, falling on top of her and breathing heavily.

They stayed like that for awhile, neither one of them moving…until Hikari hugged him tightly, kissing his shoulder softly. He pulled out of her once he had softened and stared down at her beautiful form, taking her in inch by inch before pulling the sheets over them. He looked at her again and did something she never expected to see.

Sasuke Uchiha genuinely smiled.

His arms wrapped around her from behind, spooning her into his chest, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I love you too, Sasuke."

Nothing needed to be said on his part. Because he had shown her how much she meant to him.

She had no more doubt.

* * *

**A/N: *nosebleed* X3X **

**Hikari: TWILIGHT-SAMA IS A PERVERT!**

**S-shut up….did I do okay for my first lemon ever? Let me know please! Hope you enjoyed! Later Taters!**

**Hikari:…still a per-**

**SHUT UP!**

**Yuna: Um…you forgot something….**

**What?**

**Condoms.**

**O-O….**


	64. The Outcome

**A/N: Sigh, this is my last week of freedom and then it's back to the hell hole known as high school….poo…well, here's an update, though I'm sort of having a bit of writers block, so this might not come out as good as I want it to…meh, you people will like it either way, so why bother? Anything interesting to tell: Well, I'm saving money up for cosplay...but I'm so poor XD Lol, hopefully, I'll get enough money to buy something one day XD My mom thinks it's sort of ridiculous that I wanna spend my money on a costume...but she says I can do what I want, as long as it's not illegal and that I don't get arrested XD**

**Hikari: *glaring***

**What?**

**Condoms…how could you forget?**

**NYAAAH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! P-please put the kunai away…AHHHH!**

**Hikari: COME BACK! YOU KNOW WHAT THE RESULTS ARE WHEN YOU DON'T USE CONDOMS!**

**And we learn that lesson today in this chapter!**

**Hikari: I'M GONNA KILL YOU!**

**AHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**Yuna: Twilight-sama doesn't own any of the Naruto Characters, except for her OC's and this story ^^!**

* * *

Hikari sighed as she felt herself waking up, stretching out a little. She slowly opened her eyes to see the pale face of her bedmate, raven locks partially covering his closed eyes as he breathed slowly, still obviously asleep. Hikari smiled at Sasuke softly and brushed a few strands out of his face. When he was asleep, he looked so much more peaceful, relaxed…and not hateful.

She sighed softly and ran a hand through her brown locks, reaching a hand back to rub her hurting shoulder where her birthmark resided…strangely enough, it wasn't bothering her as much as it had been the day before, but that still didn't mean it didn't hurt. The pain was just a bit more tolerable today.

She assumed that it was morning, since the room had no windows to look out of. She started to climb out of the bed when arms snaked around her waist and pulled her back to rest against a slightly toned chest, the owner's warm breath tickling the nape of her neck as soft lips brushed against it, causing Hikari to shudder slightly.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sasuke asked, his voice sounding soothing, like velvet, his lips brushing against her neck again while his hands ran up and down her thigh, tickling her a bit.

"To get dressed." Hikari stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She squirmed a little, resulting in the Uchiha pulling her closer while planting kisses all over her neck, getting a soft moan from her as he reached for her clothes

"Why?"

"Because it's time to wake up and start the day…mm…" Hikari moaned as he licked a certain spot on her neck, shuddering a little when he started to suck on it. Even as she slipped her clothes on, he continued. "You hormonal crazed boy…If I didn't like you so much, I would've slug-AH!"

He stopped, sitting up as Hikari screamed, hand flying to her right shoulder. "Hikari?"

She cried out in pain, clutching her shoulder tighter as the burning sensation seemed to grow. Sasuke, noticing this, grabbed her hand and pulling it away to look. What he saw wasn't exactly nice looking.

The skin around the flower shaped birthmark was inflamed, irritated looking, while the birthmark itself seemed to glow. He made the move to touch it, only to pull his hand back as glowing patterns appeared on Hikari's body, her eyes glowing a pale purple. A gust of wind blew him back in to the wall, causing him to grunt slightly. He shook his head and looked back to find something that was unusual.

Wind, water, lightning, fire, and leaves, all five nature elements were flying around her, while she held her head, the pain unbearable.

Sasuke's attention turned to the door as it was broken down, a loud roar reaching his ears as Yoru ran inside, his eyes widening when he saw Hikari. He looked at Sasuke and snarled quietly before grabbing Hikari's bag with his teeth and running over to Sasuke and nudging it towards him.

"W-what?" Sasuke asked, Yoru growling and knocking over Hikari's bag, the contents falling out, a little blue book landing at his feet.

"S-Sasuke!" Hikari cried, gaining his attention. "Y-you have to read the book!"

And read he did. He skimmed mostly, until he found what he need to read.

'_**Fourth Stage- How to Handle it.'**_

_When the fourth stage of the Godaigon is activated for the first time, it is out of control and almost impossible to gain control of. If someone happens to suffer from it, the best way to stop it is by trying to use a certain seal. _

What seal? He had no seal! How was he supposed to stop this before it killed Hikari?

"A-attack me!"

He looked at Hikari and growled in frustration when he saw what the book had said to stop before it happened.

The yin-yang energy…

"ATTACK ME WITH CHIDORI, NOW!"

Sasuke sighed and did as she said, running forward with the chirping electricity, hitting Hikari dead on. She cried out in pain, and the energy surrounded her fell, Hikari turning back to looking normal, panting heavily as she laid on the bed.

It hadn't been easy and exactly nice feeling, but it was over and she felt relieved.

* * *

_**Several week's later~**_

"No…oh no….no, no, no! This isn't happening!" It was the first of the month…meaning it was the time of month mother nature usually came and visited me…except, her visit has appeared to be…delayed…

Delayed until further notice…

"What are you complaining about?"

I glared at Sasuke, while he smirked slightly. "You forgot condoms! How can you forget condoms!"

"Maybe because I was too busy trying to make you mine…"

"BUT WHY? BECAUSE OF YOU, I'VE MISSED MY PERIOD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?"

"That I was successful in reviving the Uchiha Clan."

I sat down and held my head in my hands. "And you didn't even think to ask me."

"It didn't seem like the best time."

I sighed. Oh great…this is what happens when you don't use condoms…

You get pregnant.

* * *

**A/N: well? Was it okay? Because I was persuaded rather well by Bethy-Kins, I went ahead and decided to make a little baby on the way xD Was it a good idea? Eh, not sure, but I think it is… Lemme know! Sorry for it being so short, but I have writers block XD! LATER TATERS!**


	65. Return! Assault on the Leaf Begins!

**A/N: I'm starting to wonder whether making Hikari preggers was such a good idea…but it's a little too late now, I guess ^^;; So, I promised someone I'd have this chappie up as soon as I could, and I'm keeping that promise! Yep…so…hopefully this whole pregnant thing works out!**

**Hikari: *in denial***

**^^;; Ah, she'll come around…eventually! So, read on! ENJOY!**

* * *

"You are so useless! Why'd you leave behind my Executioner's Blade?"

"Shut-up, Suigetsu! Just be thankful we didn't leave you behind!"

"Look who's! You were also passed out, Karin!"

"I got knocked out trying to help you guys!"

"A lot of help you did…" Hikari mumbled under her breath, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall for support.

"It's the result of us trying to protect each other," Jugo said, "We're like fish and water, so close we can't do without one another. So quit quarreling."

Suigetsu opened his mouth to protest as he swam around in the tank of water, only to be stopped when Hikari spoke first. "Suigetsu…"

He sighed quietly as the warning in her voice reached him, "Fine. By the way, are we really going to get the Tailed Beast's power, Sasuke?"

"Hmph. Who knows? But it seems there is no need to rely on that anymore."

"Why?"

Sasuke didn't respond, though he had a thoughtful look on his face for a minute before he reached over to grab his glass of water, only to knock it over and spill it, Hikari glancing at him while Karin turned around to face him.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Karin asked, Sasuke frowning a bit before he reached up and covered his left eye.

"It's nothing."

Karin gasped all of the sudden, everyone else glancing at her.

"What is it, Karin?" Jugo asked, frowning at her.

"I sense a chakra outside. It seems we've been tailed."

Hikari looked over at Sasuke, only to make a sound of surprise when she saw that Sasuke was no longer sitting in the spot he had been. He was gone. And then Jugo was gone too, leaving Hikari, Karin, and Suigetsu.

About 15 minutes later, Sasuke and Jugo came back, Sasuke grabbing Hikari's wrist and pulling her along with him.

"What the-what's going on?"

"We're leaving. Now. Jugo, help Karin with Suigetsu."

Hikari sighed as they left, staring up at the sky. She was tired of running. It wasn't something she had made herself accustomed to, like Sasuke. She wanted to go back home. They had been staying in that base for 2 months, trying to get Suigetsu to recover.

2 months of being pregnant. With Sasuke's child.

It wasn't as if she was so disgusted with having to live with the fact that she would be bearing his child, but the fact that she would be having a child. She was too young to be a mother, being almost 17. She felt insecure about the whole situation, seeing as how she was on the bad guys side at the moment. She had told herself that whenever she settled down and had a child, she wanted that child to grow up and live in a safe environment.

Meaning this whole 'working with the Akatsuki' thing, had to stop. She didn't trust Madara, and if he were to find out that she was pregnant with Sasuke's child, then he would try and get his hands on the baby and use it for his own evil and cruel intentions.

No child deserved that kind of life.

She found herself stopping in place, Sasuke and the others stopping as well to look at her. "Hikari?"

She looked at them and shook her head, backing away from them. Sasuke frowned and made the move to grab her, but Yoru blocked his path roaring at him. Sasuke reached for his Kusangi, but stopped as Hikari held a Kunai to her throat.

"What the hell? What are you doing? You're wasting time!" Karin screeched.

"You won't have to worry about me wasting your precious time anymore, Karin. I'll be gone in just a second."

"Gone?" Sasuke asked, moving forward again, Hikari adding pressure to the kunai she had to her throat.

"Stay back, or I'll do it, Sasuke." That made him stop, "I'm sorry…but I can't stay here anymore. This life of running and working with criminals…this isn't the life I wanted. But I was forced to take it anyway. But no more." She moved away, "Don't come after me, please…I just…I want to go home."

"Karin, Jugo, Suigetsu. Leave."

Karin wanted to protest, but she closed her mouth and left with Jugo and Suigetsu, leaving Sasuke, Hikari, and Yoru.

"…."

"Why do you want to go back to that damn village?"

She glowered, "Because, that village is my home. My birthplace! You live to destroy it, and I live to protect it. We're different…It's just not going to work. Look…I love you, Sasuke…I really do. More than anything, and I mean that. But…I can't help you destroy my own home," she began to move away slowly, putting the kunai away. "I know that either way, you'll come after me…but please…just let me go home, if only for a while…let me see my brother…and my friends…"

"That's not the whole truth."

"…Our child…deserves to live in a safe environment. And if I can give my child anything besides lots of love and care, I can give him or her a safe home."

He seemed to roll this around in his mind for awhile, before he finally looked at her. "Fine. I'll let you go back to the Leaf Village. But," he stepped forward and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'll expect you to meet me somewhere…"

She frowned, "Is that it?"

"You have to come back when I say so."

She bit her lip, not liking all the terms, but she nodded nonetheless. "Fine…Do you know where the Tamakoya Mountains are?" He nodded, "I'll meet you there every chance I have…or when you send word." She moved back and kissed him softly for a moment before pulling away completely and hopping on Yoru's back, the tiger beginning to walk away, Sasuke's voice stopping him.

"And Hikari…"

"…Yeah?"

"I'm expecting you to keep your end of the agreement. Especially the part where you come back when I say."

"What do I say if they question me?"

"Doesn't matter to me. Just don't tell them about keeping in contact."

She nodded and left, Sasuke watching until he could no longer see her.

* * *

_**Week's later~**_

Hiroshi sighed tiredly as he sat on the couch, Yuna setting down a glass of water for him. "I almost had her…but then the trail went cold."

"You did your best, don't be so hard on yourself, Hiroshi."

He rubbed his temples in response, reaching for his glass of water, only to have it fall to the floor and shatter as something hit their house, a loud explosion sounding, more explosions following after. He grabbed Yuna's hand and pulled her outside with him, the two witnessing something they hadn't seen before.

Missiles hitting buildings within the village.

"We're under attack!"

Immediately, they both went into action, running off to find out what exactly was going on.

Hiroshi spotted Kotetsu and shouted at him. "Hey! What's going on?"

Kotetsu turned to look at him, a concerned look on his face. "Intruders have entered the village! We're under attack!"

That was enough for both of them to hear before both activated the Godaigon, entering stage 2. Hiroshi ran off in one direction while Yuna took the other one. And as Yuna was running, she sensed a familiar presence.

'_Hikari…'_

* * *

"Oh my…" Hikari uttered softly as Yoru came to a stop on a large hill that over looked the village, smoke coming from inside the village.

'_The village is under attack!' _

Hikari was in shock, but she knew what she had to do. She hopped off of Yoru's back and bit her thumb, drawing blood. Quickly, she made several signs and slammed her palm to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Five large clouds of smoke appeared, blowing away to reveal the five elemental dragons, all of them staring down at Hikari, Mizu speaking first.

"What is going on, Hikari?"

"Konoha is under attack. And since it is my home, I will see to it that it is protected. Mizu, Denkou, Faia, Tsuchi, Uindo! Go! Protect Konoha!"

All five dragons roared loudly and flew up into the air, flying towards the village while Hikari hopped onto Yoru's back, the tiger running to the village.

A large centipede like creature was up ahead, towering over a little girl and an old woman, who was trying to help the girl. Sakura Haruno ran forward, readied to punch the creature back as it made the move to attack the two, only to be beaten to it as a loud roar reached her ears, and a blur of orange ran past her.

"Rose Thorn Kunai Jutsu!"

Each little rose thorn that were shaped like Kunai's hit the creature, exploding shortly afterwards. Sakura had been protecting the woman and girl, covering her face to keep the smoke from hitting it. When it cleared, she stared in shock and surprise.

"H-Hikari!"

Hikari didn't respond, only looked back at them. "Is everyone okay?"

The little girl that woman had been holding close peeked over at her and nodded in fright, the old woman looking at her kindly. "Th-Thank you so much!" The little girl whimpered, and Sakura ran forward to see is she was injured anywhere.

"Sakura!" said girl turned to see Iruka running over, his eyes widening when they landed on Hikari, though he decided not to say anything, asking them both if they were all right.

"We're fine. Iruka-sensei, what's going on?" Sakura asked while she continued to heal the little girls knee.

"I don't know. But someone is attacking the Leaf Village! The situation has been reported to Lady Tsunade. The alarm should sound soon." He looked at Hikari, "When did you-"

"Just now. Please, I know you have lots of question, sensei. But rest assured that I am on Konoha's side. I will always be." She smiled at him, "I'll answer any questions later, but now, we have to keep the citizens and village safe!" She took off, Yoru right by her side.

This was only the beginning….

* * *

**A/N: Fuuu…something tells me you guys won't like my decision. But it's been done, so get over it! LEAVE A REVIEW! LATER TATERS!**


	66. Questions later, Fighting now!

**A/N: Ugh…stupid writers block…I love you guys enough to update again…xD consider yourselves loved! So…enjoy and all that jazz XD READ ON!**

* * *

Hikari was running through the village, helping people as she went along. She ran into a little girl, who had tears cascading down her cheeks as Hikari picked her up.

"M-my mommy is gone!"

Hikari held her close as she ran through the village to find somewhere safe to put the girl, running into a familiar face along the way. "Kurenai-sensei!"

The red eyed woman stopped as her name was called, her eyes widening when she saw the familiar face running to her.

"Hikari? When did you-how did you…"

Hikari shook her head, "Long story. I'll explain later! Listen, take this little girl with you to the underground tunnel!" Hikari exclaimed, setting the girl down next to Kurenai and taking off, Kurenai shouting after her.

"Hikari, wait!" But it was no use, because she was already gone.

Hikari ran into a group of people along the way, stopping and helping to escort them to the hospital, most of them severely injured.

"Please, everyone remain calm. We'll have you all fixed up in no time! Oh! Hikari!" Yuna exclaimed, waving the girl over, where she threw her arms around her and hugged her. "Thank goodness…we were so worried about you."

Hikari nodded, "Of course. Look, I'll explain everything later, but now, we have to help these people!"

"Right!" Yuna looked at all the people, Sakura tending to several severely wounded people. "Like Sakura said, if you can walk, please head to the evacuation shelter!"

"Where is Hiroshi?"

Yuna looked at her with calm blue eyes. "Running around out there somewhere, trying to help! Go assist him. I'll be with you two in-"

"No, Yuna-sensei…stay here and help Sakura. A medic-nin with your expertise is what is needed." and before Yuna could protest, she was gone, running down the chaotic streets, a single memory from her childhood in her mind.

"_Today, I am going to recite a poem I wrote. I want you to remember it when you go home."_

"_No thanks! I can't memorize stuff like that." Naruto exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest while Choji snickered._

"_Couldn't agree more."_

"_Hey! Naruto!" _

_Naruto froze in fear, "Iruka Sensei! Ow!" Naruto's hands reached up to hold his head, his eyes landing on an angry looking Hikari. _

"_Don't disrespect the Hokage, Naruto!"_

_The third laughed at the display before him, reaching down and patting Hikari's head. "That's all right, Iruka, Hikari. They have a point."_

_Iruka scratched the back of his head sheepishly, laughing slightly. "Ah…I-I'm sorry."_

"_Let's see. I won't tell you to memorize the entire poem. Nor will I expect you to understand its meaning. But when you are grown, I want you to think back and recall the words of this old man. It's about a way of thinking that is sure to be useful to you in your future, and concerns the will of fire."_

"_Tell us, tell us!" Hikari exclaimed, Hiruzen laughing and nodding before a serious look appeared on his face. _

"_In the place where leaves dance…The fire burns…The shadow of the fire shines on the village…Once again, new leaves sprout." _

Hikari believed…and nothing could take that feeling of belief away.

The thoughts she had in her mind were suddenly pushed away momentarily pushed away as the earth beneath her feet violently shook, causing her to fall on her rear. A distant roar came not too far from where she was, and Yoru sniffed the air, growling softly.

"That definitely wasn't Mizu or the others…" Hikari stated, standing up and dusting herself off.

'_It's not…it's something else…another summoning.' _

Hikari frowned and jumped up to stand on a rooftop, noticing several familiar cloaked figures with masks on, her eyes wandering to what they were staring at up ahead.

A creature up with three heads was wreaking havoc up ahead.

She watched as the ANBU members began their assault on the creature from afar, before they all leaped over to stand on top of the four pillars that one of them had summoned. She figured it had worked, until the monster broke free from its confines, roaring angrily.

'_Look's like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed…'_

"Now's not the time to joke, Yoru…" Hikari scolded him, closing her eyes. _'Faia, Uindo! Assist in fighting this thing!'_

Faia was the first to arrive, assaulting the creature with a fire storm, though it didn't do much damage. Uindo came flying over to aid her, using wind based jutsu, though his attacks weren't doing much. But it was enough to slow the thing down.

At least…she thought it was, until the beast began to grow more heads.

"Shit…their attacks won't work…"

'_Why not?'_

"Because…to stop it, the person who summoned it and cast the jutsu needs to be taken down first…Uindo, Faia! Retreat!"

'_Does that mean we're gonna go look for that person?'_

She shook her head in response, "No…the ANBU are already doing that. We need to focus on learning the full details of-" something falling onto her shoulder startled her, causing her to jump in surprise. When she saw what it was, she calmed. "Oh! Lady Katsuyu…you startled me."

The white and blue slug stuck to her shoulder looked at her, "Are you okay, Hikari?"

"I'm fine. No injuries as of yet. Do you know what's going on and who's attacking the village?"

As Hikari hopped onto Yoru's back, Katsuyu filled her in. "The leader of the Akatsuki. Pain. Lady Tsunade believes that he has come for Naruto, and unfortunately, that's all I know."

"It's enough for now. What can you tell me about Pain?"

"He is able to use the Six Paths Of Pain."

"That would explain the summons…The Animal Path. Damn! The Legendary Rinnegan!"

'_More summons!'_

"How many?"

'_Four! That makes six!'_

"Six? I thought there were only five!"

'_Another summon was called out shortly after the first one!'_

"Dammit!"

* * *

People screamed in terror as the large centipede like creature attacked, destroying several buildings in the process. Konohamaru Sarutobi watched the giant bug in anger, soot all over his face.

"How dare they turn our village into a mess!"

"Konohamaru!"

"Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru looked down at a lower building to find his two teammates. "Udon! Moegi!" he jumped down and landed in front of them, his blue scarf touching the ground. "Just in time! We're gonna save this village from this disaster!"

"What? But we just managed to run away." Udon said, Konohamaru staring at him in determination.

"Brother Naruto is away! So it's our duty to protect the village!"

"Yeah, but there's nothing we can do against such powerful monsters!" Udon stated, grunting and covering his face like Moegi when the centipede monster crashed into a nearby building, sending debris flying their way.

"I'll just blast 'em with the new jutsu that Naruto taught me!" Konohamaru exclaimed.

"New jutsu?" Udon repeated.

"It's probably the usual Pervy Ninjutsu, right?"

"No, it's not! At first, I also thought this was a Pervy Ninjutsu…But it's different! With this jutsu, I can go on high-ranking missions!"

"What kind of high-ranking missions?" Moegi asked, "At a time like this, we things that we must do."

"She's right, Konohamaru. It's our duty to guide and evacuate the civilians!" Udon reminded, Konohamaru thinking back to the last time the village had been attacked.

2 years ago, during the Chunin exams…

"We're supposed to evacuate the children and those who cannot fight, huh?"

Moegi nodded, "Yes! I'm going to check out how things are in Block C."

"Right! I'll check out Block E."

"Then I'm going to Block B!" Konohamaru said, "I'll make sure there's no one who didn't make it out!"

"Be careful now, Konohamaru!" Moegi reminded him before both her and Udon went off to their own Blocks, leaving Konohamaru. He took off, missiles hitting building around him as he ran through the streets, calling out for people if they hadn't gotten to safety yet. Someone responded, and he ran over to a pile of rubble, helping an old woman out from it and carrying her to somewhere safe, where she thanked him.

The sounds of battle cry caused him to pull away to investigate, running around the corner to see what was going on. His eyes narrowed when he saw the red cloud on the cloak that the attacker was wearing.

'_It's the gang that killed Uncle Asuma…The Akatsuki!'_

* * *

Hikari ran down the streets hurriedly, as she heard battle cries coming from not too far from where she had been earlier, the scene before her surprising her.

Ebisu going against one of the Six Paths of Pain. And from the looks of it, Ebisu had lost, seeing as how he had been thrown into a wall. She noticed the enemy look up over towards the alley, and her eyes widened as she sensed the familiar chakra.

'_Konohamaru…'_

"Hey!" She shouted, gaining the orange headed mans attention. "You people obviously have no shame…You will pay for what you have done!"

"H-Honorable Granddaughter! I will handle this!" Ebisu shouted as he got back to his feet and threw kunai at the enemy, only to have them all knocked away with a metal rod that the enemy was using.

Hikari did as she had been told and stood back, watching as Ebisu was knocked away as the enemy kneed his face, slamming him into the ground before picking him back up by the neck.

"Is Naruto Uzumaki here in the village, or not? If you know, speak up."

"N-Naruto…"

Ebisu was knocked out of the mans grip by a powerful gust of wind, the man looking over at Hikari. She glared angrily before she ran forward to engage in battle.

She would see to it that one of the Six Paths was taken down…

* * *

**A/N: Meh…I was gonna have her face Konan, but I changed my mind :P Besides, I figured it would make it seem more dramatic if she arrived to protect her brother XD LATER TATERS!**


	67. Destruction! It's all gone

**A/N: I just realized I didn't put in Ebisu's touching speech! GAH! So…I gotta do that in this chapter! So…people keep asking me if the baby is going to die, and people are telling me the baby better not die. I'm gonna clear this up…THE BABY AIN'T GONNA DIE! Okay, why would I add the baby into the picture if him/her was just going to die? Baby will live, because…well, I say so! **

**Hikari: so, what happens in this chapter, Twilight-sama?**

**Stuff…read to find out! Enjoy!**

* * *

The Naraka Path stared at her with a bored gaze, before he knocked her back, Hikari curling up in a defensive position and landing back a few feet away, watching as he grabbed Ebisu again by the neck and lifted him up into the air.

"Is Naruto Uzumaki here in the village, or not? This is the last time I'll ask you. If you know, speak up."

"N-Naruto?" Ebisu uttered out, struggling to talk.

"It seems you do know Naruto Uzumaki. Then tell me where he is."

"I may…not look it…but I do hold the elite rank of instructor. Naruto is my student. Long ago, I considered him a nuisance, who stood in the way of Konohamaru's rise to Hokage. That's what I believed…However, Naruto didn't allow his cursed fate to discourage him. With unending optimism and a never-say-die attitude he faced one challenge after another and overcame them. The important lessons which I could not teach, despite being an instructor, Naruto taught them to my students."

The Naraka Path tightened his grip on Ebisu's neck, "You…have rambled on too long. This is your last chance. Do you know where Naruto is, or don't you? Answer me! Or else I'll kill you."

"Wind style: Scattering flower dance!"

The cyclone of flower petals hit the Naraka path, and Ebisu fell to the ground, gasping for much needed breath. Yoru ran over and dragged him to safety, Hikari staying behind to face the Naraka path, who glowered at her while she returned the look.

She made a hand sign, "Earth style: Uproot tree bind jutsu!"

Tree roots shot out and towards the Naraka path, who moved out of their way easily, until the roots all wrapped around him, covering his body completely.

At least…Hikari thought so, until she was lifted up by her neck, kicking her feet around. "Nngh!"

"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?"

She grunted, "Why…do you wanna know?"

"I'll ask again. Do you know where Naruto is, or not?"

Hikari stopped struggling and smirked, "Naruto is a member of the Hidden Leaf! I don't have the intention of telling any of you Akatsuki scumbags anything, and neither do the rest of us!"

"I'll give you one more chance…where is Naruto?"

She spat down in his face, a determined smile playing upon her lips. "Go to hell…"

The Naraka Path said no more, and summoned the Outer Path, the purple flames deadly looking to Hikari, though she showed no fear.

'_I won't die…not today…because I have the will to live…' _she grunted as the hand around her neck tightened it's grip, _'G-guh…then again…maybe this is the end of the road…Konohamaru…please stay safe when I'm gone…'_

"Die…" Naraka Path said, unable to continue with what he was doing, due to the three kunai knives that embedded themselves in the arm he was using to hold Hikari up in the air, causing him to drop her to the ground and jump back a few feet, the Kunai falling from his arm and clattering to the ground below, his eyes looking over to the rooftop nearby, Hikari's eyes following and widening.

"I'll take you on!"

"K-Konohamaru!" Hikari exclaimed, surprised that he was still here.

"I was taught that…there's no shortcut in the world of the ninja!" Konohamaru shouted, Hikari staring up at him angrily, Ebisu looking over at him with the same look.

"Konohamaru! Why didn't you run away? You have the potential to one day become a Hokage! Do not waste your life in a place like this!" Ebisu shouted to him.

"Konohamaru, listen to Ebisu-Sensei! Get away to somewhere safe before you get yourself killed!" Hikari yelled, her maternal instincts kicking in.

Konohamaru looked at his sensei and sister in shock before a small smile appeared on his face. "I made a promise long ago," he stood up straighter on the rooftop, "To fight Naruto over the title of Hokage…That's what we promised. Naruto is my rival! So I'll never choose to run away!" Hikari watched as the Naraka Path began to run towards Konohamaru, fear rushing through her entire being as Konohamaru just stood there and clapped his hands together, "Because Naruto won't be waiting at the end of that short path!"

Hikari wanted to scream as she watched her little brother dodge the metal rod that the Naraka path swung at him.

Konohamaru flew and landed on top of a pile of debris, opening his eyes in time to see the Naraka path flying down towards, prepared to stab him.

Hikari got up and ran after them, finding the Naraka Path holding Konohamaru by the neck up against a wall. Anger coursing through her, she ran forward.

"KONOHAMARU!" She was kicked back, Yoru cushioning her fall.

'_Be more careful, or you'll hurt the baby!' _

"Y-yeah…sorry…" Hikari mumbled as Katsuyu began to heal Hikari, the feeling making her feel so much better, and tired. She watched in desperation as her little brother struggled and struggled, her eyes shutting to bite hold back the tears. She reopened them, only to be surprised when Konohamaru disappeared into a puff of smoke. "A shadow clone!" She heard running behind her and moved out of the way as two Konohamaru's came running by, a familiar jutsu being performed by the real one and clone.

"Rasengan!" Both shouted in unison, slamming the attack into the Naraka path, causing a small explosion.

Hikari was shocked. _'When did he…' _she suddenly smiled, _'Naruto taught you well…'_

"I am a genin of the Sarutobi Clan, honored with the name of this village! Surname is Sarutobi! Given name is Konohamaru! Remember that!"

Hikari hopped onto Yoru's back and left the scene, leaving as a proud older sister.

* * *

Yuna had never seen such devastation before in here entire 26 years of living.

It was like a scene out of a horror movie. All these people continuing to flood into the hospital, bleeding profusely, broken bones, deathly injuries, and people even half dead. It was tragic…

She was continuing to heal people as fast as she could, and with the help of Lady Tsunade summoning Katsuyu, it made all the medics jobs much more easier when going back out for more people to bring back, some of the serious injuries already fixed up by the slug.

"I need another drip over here!"

A nurse ran over with the item, and watched as Yuna hooked it up to the young man that she was currently treating. Once it was done, she looked at the nurse. "His arm is broken in 3 places, and there's no more bandages. See to it that you get more at once!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

Yuna moved onto the next person, her hands glowing with chakra as she pressed them to the mans chest, letting her chakra flood through his body to heal him. Sakura was across from her, healing someone else, a look of frustration on her face. Yuna didn't need to ask why she had that look on her face, because she knew why.

The number of people in need of immediate care and treatment was sky rocketing. At the rate everyone was going, and the amount of people, they wouldn't get to everyone in time.

Never had Yuna felt so much pressure on her all at once.

* * *

Hiroshi frowned as all the summons were suddenly dispelled, gasping as the woman he and Ibiki had been trying to fight suddenly retreated, leaving them behind.

"What's going on?" Ibiki asked no one in particular, looking up as a blue dragon flew overhead, Hiroshi blinking in surprise.

"Mizu!"

Upon hearing someone calling her name, she flew down. "Hiroshi…it's good to see you're all right."

"Yeah…how'd you get here?"

"Hikari summoned us to help. She just got back awhile ago. Something is happening…all Six Paths have suddenly vanished…all except for…" her blue eyes looked up towards the sun, Hiroshi's eyes following, using a hand to protect his eyes as he squinted them.

"What the-!" He saw a figure floating up in the sky, just floating. Katsuyu suddenly crawled next to him and curled around him as the ground shook a bit and a bright light began to cover everything in it's path, Hiroshi watching in confusion and shock like everyone else while Mizu flew off quickly.

Elsewhere in the village, Hikari had been riding on Yoru's back when the ground shook, hopping off of his back to stare up at the sky as the wind blew harshly, her eyes full of confusion. An explosion coming up ahead caused her attention to turn away from the sky, her eyes widening slightly as she a giant cloud of dirt and debris heading their way.

Something she knew they couldn't out run.

"Hikari!" three voices shouted, Mizu, Uindo, and Denkou flying down and circling in her and Yoru, the three out of five elemental dragons using their wings to protect her, Hikari hugging Yoru. As soon as things quieted down and the tremors ceased, they pulled away and backed up, Hikari coughing as some dust hit her, wiping her face to rid of any that had managed to hit it. When she opened her eyes and looked around she couldn't believe what she saw.

"What…where…how…it's…gone…" She fell to her knees, overcome by many emotions. Hikari let her own tears fall to the ground, Yoru growling sadly, nuzzling her shoulder with his head. "It's gone…all of it…everything is gone…" She sobbed softly before she looked to the sky. "Please…hurry…Please, Naruto. Hurry back… NAAARRRUUUTTTOOO!"

On the other side of the village, where a large pit had been made, a cloud of smoke appeared, and cleared to reveal 3 large toads, one medium sized one, and a small one resting upon a familiar knuckleheaded ninja's shoulder.

Naruto Uzumaki. The newly qualified Sage.

* * *

This felt like a dream…having to see everything that you had grown up surrounded by, suddenly gone and obliterated. There was nothing left of Konoha…it was all gone.

Everything was gone.

I could feel Yoru licking my face to rid of the tears that were cascading down my cheeks. As I cried, I began to wonder about something.

If the village was gone, did that mean Sasuke would give up on trying to destroy it?

I pushed the thought away, realizing there were more important things to be thinking about.

"Hikari, are you…" Katsuyu's voice reached my ears as I began to wipe at my eyes. It took me a moment to figure out what she was trying to say, before I gave a slight smile and nodded.

"Mhmm…" I patted my stomach as she crawled onto it, obviously healing any injuries that I might have gotten and checking on the life inside of me. Yoru growled softly as footsteps approached us.

"Hikari!"

I looked over and saw Genma running to me, senbon gone from his mouth, something that was very rare to see. He knelt down in front of me, a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, and pointed to his head, where blood was dripping out and down the side of his face, "But are you okay, uncle?"

He smiled, "It's just a little scratch." He helped me to my feet and looked off in the distance as a loud explosion came from afar.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking in the same direction.

"Naruto has returned. He's facing Pain right now." Katsuyu explained, crawling away from my stomach and back up onto my shoulder.

I clenched my hand a into a fist, "Then we should help!"

"No. Naruto has asked us not to interfere. This is his fight…"

I sighed softly, deciding she was right. Besides…I knew Naruto could stop them for good. "I see…then all we can do is have faith in Naruto."

Even if he is a knucklehead…

* * *

**A/N: Hmm…guess this was okay…leave a review! LATER TATERS!**


	68. Naruto Uzumaki: Hero of the Leaf!

**A/N: So…last chapter went rather well…:D So this one is up fast because of that, and because Bethy-Kins is updating her story for me and I'm updating my story for her XD So, this chapter is dedicated to her, since she's helped me out with ideas! Enjoy! Also, this was my favorite chapter to write, because…I just loved it. ENJOY!**

* * *

"So many lives…all lost…" Hikari uttered sadly as she and Genma walked around, searching for anyone who might've been alive.

Genma nodded in agreement with her, his brown eyes taking in everything sadly. "It's the price to pay, in the Shinobi world…but it's not fair, if you ask me."

"Life, in general, is not fair…" She mumbled, looking up ahead and gasping.

In a pile of rubble, Kakashi Hatake laid on the top, not moving or making any indication to prove he was alive.

"Huh?"

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Hikari shouted, taking off towards the silver haired man and getting right next to him, pulling him out of the debris and laying him down flat on the ground. She gently shook his shoulder. "Sensei!" he didn't respond, so she tried again, "Kakashi-Sensei! It's me! Hikari! Sensei…"

Genma put a hand on her shoulder to gain her attention and he shook his head. "He's gone, Hikari…"

The tears came involuntarily, and she sobbed, hugging the body of her sensei to her. Little did she know that everyone else that had survived and come across the bodies of their loved ones and friends…

Something glowing brightly caused her to open her eyes, her caramel orbs widening as she noticed it was her sensei that was glowing with a bright green energy.

"What the-!" Genma stared up at the sky to find meteor shower of the same sort of energy falling from the sky, Hikari watching as well. A grunt coming from her arms alerted her to look back down, just in time to see Kakashi open his one eye to look at her.

"H-Hikari?" He sat up, and looked at Genma, before just staring straight ahead. "What happened?"

A Katsuyu clone moved over to them. "Thank goodness you're okay. I will explain everything."

He was about to say something, but was cut off as Hikari let out a shrill sob and threw her arms around his neck. "S-Sensei!"

He didn't pry her off, simply patted her on the head as Katsuyu explained what all had happened. He could remember dying, and talking with his father while sitting around a campfire, and telling his father how proud of him he was. And now…he was alive again…

Slowly, one by one, more and more people that had lost their lives regained them back once more. Hikari helped Kakashi to his feet with the help of Genma, but Kakashi pushed them away and said he had to go look for someone, before he disappeared. Hikari and Genma went out to the outer part of the village, where everyone was gathered in a large crowd. Upon their arrival, Hiroshi came running towards them, scooping Hikari up into his arms and spinning her around happily before he sat her down. All of her friends came over and hugged her, asking her where she had been, her response being 'I'll tell you later'. Minorin cried tears of joy as she hugged her tightly, telling her how much she had missed her and worried.

"SIIIIIISSSSS!"

Hikari looked over and nearly fell to her back as Konohamaru came running at her, hugging her waist tightly while crying. She smiled softly and petted his head, before her attention turned to the front of the woods, a big grin appearing on her face when she saw who Kakashi had gone to get.

Naruto looked up as loud cheering reached his ears, the scene before him unbelievable as everyone smiled happily.

"Good job!"

"We knew you could do it!"

"They've all been awaiting your return." Kakashi told him while letting him slide onto his feet.

"Welcome back!" A group of children all shouted, running towards him.

"Naruto!"

"Wh-what's going on?" Naruto asked, Katsuyu climbing out from inside of his jacket.

"I relayed every detail of the events that occurred."

"Hey! What was the enemy like?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Oww! Don't push!" Naruto exclaimed as all of the children crowded him in, a loud roar causing him to quit complaining and look to the front of the crowd.

"Naruto!" Hikari cried happily, tears falling down her cheeks as Yoru roared again happily.

"H-Hikari…Oi! Watch my face!"

She laughed joyfully, before a soft smile fell onto her face. _'You've grown up so much…and have gotten so much stronger…Naruto…You're a hero. You've become a hero to these children and the people of the Leaf Village…you're a legend.' _

"Hey! Cut it out!" Naruto shouted as the children tugged on his arms, Sakura walking over, his complaining stopping for the time being.

"You're so reckless, you idiot!" She punched him and caught him, pulling him into a hug, shocking most of the people, including Naruto himself. "Thank you."

"Way to go, Naruto!" Lee congratulated.

"Yes! That's what youth is!" Gai exclaimed.

Hikari ran over and hugged Naruto as soon as Sakura had let him go, before exclaiming happily, "Three cheers for Naruto! Hip-hip! Hooray!" Everyone began to chant along with her, all of their friends gathering around and picking him up, throwing him up into the air while cheering happily, most people crying in joy. Hikari laughed as the five elemental dragons flew overhead and roared loudly in happiness like the people below were cheering.

Today, everyone had witnessed the making of a hero. The great hero, Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

_**A few days later~**_

Hikari sighed softly as she stood before the two elders, Koharu and Homura, the two wearing skeptical faces.

"Where were you?"

"I was taken against my will by Sasuke Uchiha and kept with him and his team of three other people. I attempted to get away more than once, but with the members on his team, it proved to be rather difficult. I barely managed to get away with my life."

"What is Sasuke Uchiha planning?" Homura asked, his voice stern.

"…Honestly, I don't know what's going through his mind…"

Koharu looked at her with a frown. "I've heard that you are with child. Is this true?"

Hikari bit her bottom lip and nodded, "Yes. It's true."

"Who is the child's father?"

"…Uchiha Sasuke."

The silence was unbearable, and Hikari didn't dare look up from the floor, afraid of what kind of judgment their gazes would hold. The truth of the fact was that she was afraid of what they would say about her unborn child, and the rumors that would start. She had already been asked by quite a few people if Sasuke had raped her, and she simply shook her head, saying no.

Because she let him take her innocence. She had let herself give up fighting back and her emotions best her. She let him make love to her.

And she had loved every last bit of it.

Of course, she told this to only Yuna. Hinata and Minorin were the other two people she told, knowing that they wouldn't be as judgmental as most people. Hiroshi threatened to snap Sasuke's neck if he ever saw him for what he had done to his only niece, and Konohamaru was happy about the idea of being an uncle. Most of her other friends hadn't said anything about there being something wrong with the idea of her having a child, and had congratulated her. Naruto, of course, had seemed ecstatic.

"_A mom, huh?"_

_She nodded, smiling softly, "Yeah…I'm 2 months along now."_

_Naruto seemed to be thinking about something for a minute, "So…you're gonna be the mother of Sasuke's kid, huh?"_

_She looked down at her feet, afraid he was going to say something that meant he disliked the idea. _

"_He better love that kid." Now that took her off guard. She looked up at him to find him grinning like an idiot, a small smile tugging at her own lips, "Because if he doesn't…well, I'll knock some sense into him! Believe it!"_

"_Thank you…Naruto."_

"That child will bring havoc!"

Hikari tensed, staring up at the two, "I beg your pardon?"

Homura's voice boomed, "It is a threat to our village! Being an Uchiha! It is nothing more than a monster like its father! You have brought shame to your grandfather's-" a kunai whizzing past him and embedding itself in the rock wall behind him caused him to shut up, Hikari's eyes holding a dangerous glint.

"You can say whatever you wish to. But I can assure you this; My child isn't a monster, nor will he or she ever be. You say these things based on the child's father, but those kind of things aren't inherited. You can't judge someone when they haven't even been brought out to the world yet! How dare you say such things to me. I don't care what punishment I may get, but you will _not _call _my _unborn baby a monster. And you will not take my child away from me. If you say such things ever again…" she didn't continue with where she had been going with her words and turned away to leave, Koharu's voice stopping her.

"What are Uchiha Sasuke's plans for Konoha?"

"…He's going to destroy it."

And with that said, she left them and headed back to the camping area where everyone was living currently. Hikari had been surprise the other day when she had gone looking for her house to find that it still stood, thanks to Faia and Tsuchi protecting it during the shockwave of destruction. Of course, the roof had some significant damage done to it. She had even told all of her friends they could stay, since she had plenty of room. Naruto had taken up on the offer right away, making Konohamaru's day. Hiroshi and Yuna, of course, were inclined to stay with her, seeing as how both of them were her sensei's and part of her family. Kiba had said he wanted to stay, but his mother had dragged him away by the ear, saying he needed to help her and the rest of their family. Kurenai was also staying with her, though Shikamaru had wanted her to stay with him and his family, due to the promise he made to Asuma, though he decided to let Hikari house her for now, since they were sort of family, in a way.

Hikari was happy to have anyone stay, and it was nice having Naruto stay with her and her family. It made the house…

Seem less lonely and emptier than she had grown used to.

"H-hey! Hikari!" She looked up to see Naruto running over to her, stopping in front of her and hunching over, panting. "S-should you really be out walking in your condition?"

'_What are you, my father? Now I know how auntie Kurenai feels with Shikamaru always asking her…' _she smiled, "Naruto, I'm only two months pregnant. I can walk fine. Don't worry."

It was rather humorous to see Naruto worry over her. "A-Are you sure? You wanna sit down?"

Hikari laughed, "Naruto, I promise you, I'm just fine!"

"OK, OK! Just making sure…"

She smiled at his concern and patted him on the shoulder before heading to her house, walking inside to find Kurenai taking it easy, knitting. She smiled softly and walked over and sat down next to her.

"Do you know what you're having yet?"

Kurenai looked at her and smiled, "A boy."

Hikari smiled, looking over at a picture of Asuma that hung on the wall with all the other million pictures that were up there. "Uncle would be so happy…"

Kurenai nodded, continuing to knit, "He was rather surprised when I told him. He protested when I said he had to quit smoking, but eventually, he decided it was best if he did. Apparently, a spunky little genin told him it would make him weak and she would kick his butt."

Hikari laughed at the memory, smiling softly. "He would've been a great dad…oh! I have something that I want you have, aunt Kurenai," Hikari said, getting back to her feet and running to a room down the hall before coming back with a picture frame in her hands. "This is for you…" she handed it to her, and Kurenai smiled down at the picture.

Asuma stood proudly, a grin on his face while giving a thumbs up. Kurenai felt tears well up in her eyes before she reached out and hugged Hikari tightly.

"Thank you…"

"No. Thank you."

There was no need for an explanation.

* * *

**A/N: Well, it's done! Yay! Okay, so, I need to explain something before the next chapter is posted. I was going to just make a few filler chapters before having a timeskip and the baby being born, but due to a lack of time (school starts Monday) I'm gonna go ahead and make a bunch of little journal entries by Hikari in the next chapter for each month she and Sasuke visit with each other. There will be things happening between each entry, like present time events that are occurring that relate to rebuilding the village and such, and people talking. So…yeah…um, she might go into labor during the one of her final visits with sasu before the baby is born, since someone told me that seemed look a good idea, and I don't see anyone disagreeing with it ^^! So, until the next chapter! LATER TATERS!**


	69. Kyo Daichi Uchiha

**A/N: Well, this the chapter I've been anticipating to write the most! SQUEEE! (I just wanted to get over with, sorry if it seems like I rushed ^^;;)**

**Hikari: I hate you…**

**But you should be happy…even if childbirth is painful! You can endure it!**

**Hikari: I still hate you!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**A month later~3 months along~**_

People had asked why she had to go, and her answer was to just see the people of Kietsu Clan.

Of course, that had been the partial truth.

"You're late."

"And you're impatient." Hikari mumbled while pale arms wrapped around her waist from behind, hugging her to a slightly toned and clothed chest, lips brushing against the nape of her neck. "I can only move so fast, Sasuke."

"Hn…not fast enough." Sasuke said, nibbling on her neck softly, "How are you feeling?"

"Jeez, that's like the question of the year…I'm fine. And you?"

"…Okay, I guess…"

She turned around his hold and kisses him softly, smiling up at him, "I missed you…"

"Likewise."

They sat down and talked about things for awhile, Hikari telling him about Pain's attack on the village, and how all the people that had died came back to life, and that everyone considered Naruto a hero. Sasuke only told her a few things, none of which she found interesting.

"When do you find out the gender?"

"Next month…" Hikari said, placing a hand on her slightly swollen stomach. "What do you want?"

"I don't know…"

She smiled, rubbing her stomach a bit, "I want a boy…"

Sasuke placed a hand over her own and squeezed it gently. "Then…I guess I want a boy too…"

Hikari giggled, leaning back into his chest more. "What about names?"

"…We don't even know what we're having yet…"

"If we have a girl, we'll name her Ai. If it's a boy…Kyo."

Who was he to argue with her choices when he couldn't even think if names.

* * *

_**Month 4~**_

_Yuna gave me this journal as a present. It's nice, and I can write whatever I want in it. I went to the doctor today, since Lady Tsunade is still in a coma, and cannot be in charge of me. I'm going to have a little boy. Sasuke was happy about it, I guess, when I told him during my visit today. _

_Well, I'm sleepy, so good night._

* * *

_**Month 5~**_

_Nothing much happened today….Sasuke was quiet like he usually was during our visit. When I got home, I helped out with the rebuilding process. I was really surprised too, because Tazuna and Inari were there. They came over and ate dinner with us. Inari told Naruto he would rebuild Ichiraku's, which made me extremely happy. Ramen is delicious, especially Ichiraku ramen! _

_Well, that's all I have to say for today. _

* * *

_**Month 6~**_

_I just found out something terrible. Due to Lady Tsunade still being in a coma, Danzo has been appointed as the Sixth Hokage. The man is not fit for the job, if you ask me, but then again, that's just my opinion. Sasuke told me a story about how he and Itachi used to play ninja when they were little. _

_He seemed so sad while telling me about it._

_I asked him if he was still going to try and destroy the Leaf…_

_He said nothing had changed. _

* * *

_**Month 7~**_

_I've started staying in the mountain for a few weeks now. Amazingly, I was able to convince the elders to help out the Leaf Village, and with our special powers, building is progressing nicely, though there isn't a lot done yet…but it's going along at a good pace with all the help we've been receiving. Three more months to go until Kyo comes into the world. Shizune said he's in perfect health, according to the ultrasounds. _

_Sasuke didn't come today. I was a bit disappointed._

* * *

**2 months later-**

"I'm fat…"

"You're not fat, Hikari…"

"Yes, I am! Look at me! I'm huge!"

Yuna sighed as she walked alongside her, "You're pregnant, Hikari. Not fat."

"I'm like a whale!"

Yuna couldn't help but laugh at that, Hikari giggling as well. Currently, the two were headed to the Tamakoya mountains for the monthly visit. Since Hikari was now nine months pregnant and with the due date coming any day now, Yuna had decided to go with her, in case something happened, namely Hikari going into labor and being in the middle of nowhere by herself.

Plus, Yuna was suspicious of why Hikari had to go visit every month…she had talked with some of her friends that resided in the mountain, and many of them had told her that Hikari would stop in before leaving, and coming back hours later. She wanted to know what Hikari was exactly doing during her visits.

Hikari suddenly stopped walking, gripping onto Yuna's arm. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"My water just broke…"

Yuna's blue orbs were wide like saucers as looked around quickly. "O-oh dear! But we're not even close to the mountain yet!" Yuna suddenly remembered an old bomb shelter being around in the area somewhere. Yuna grabbed her and helped her along through the woods, breathing a sigh of relief as she found the old bomb shelter and pushed the door open, getting Hikari into the bed immediately and having her lay down. She set up all the medical equipment she had brought in case this happened, making Hikari sit up in an upright position. She was breathing heavily, beads of sweat beginning to form on her face.

"Okay, Hikari…just keep breathing and re-"

"AHHH!"

"I know, it hurts…I know…"

Childbirth; the hardest challenge woman goes through.

* * *

Sasuke looked around at the trees, waiting to see the one person he took his time to see. He'd been standing there, waiting for two hours. And still, no sign of Hikari.

'_What's taking her so long?' _

A somewhat nearby scream caused him to look in the direction it came from, before he found his feet moving on their own accord. A bomb shelter lied ahead, and he ran inside, a kunai whizzing past his head and hitting the wall behind him. He felt something wrap around him and looked down to see tree roots holding him in place. A blond haired woman with crystal blue eyes glared at him dangerously, a kunai in her hand.

"Get out!"

Sasuke glowered, his eyes narrowing when he saw who was occupying the bed. "Hikari!"

Her reply was a scream, and Yuna looked back at her while releasing Sasuke, turning back to look at him carefully.

"Leave!"

"No."

"Get out before I throw you out!"

"AHHH! HELLO! GIVING BIRTH HERE!" Hikari shouted, panting and crying, grabbing Sasuke's hands and gripping it tightly, a loud snap sounding before a loud grunt came from Sasuke, followed by a hiss of pain.

She had broken his hand.

"Keep pushing, Hikari!" Yuna encouraged, while Hikari panted.

"I'm pushing as hard as I can! AHHH!"

"I can see the head! 1, 2...3...PUSH!"

She cried as she pushed one last time, the sound of a baby crying reaching her ears as she breathed heavily, a tired smile on her face as Yuna began to work on the baby immediately, a soft smile appearing on her face as she cleaned him.

"Well done, Hikari…he's a healthy baby."

Hikari smiled weakly as Yuna brought the newborn over in a blanket, setting him in Hikari's arms. She watched Hikari smile down at the little miracle in her arms while Sasuke watched curiously.

"Uchiha…" he looked over at her, "…You're not so bad."

Approval from the family was important, of course. Yuna healed his hand quickly before asking Hikari the important question.

"What's his name?"

She smiled as she played with the baby's tiny hand.

"Kyo…Kyo Daichi Uchiha…"

* * *

**A/N: I feel like this was rushed, but I like it either way. WELCOME TO THE WORLD, LITTLE KYO! LEAVE A REVIEW! LATER TATERS!**


	70. Argument and Duty

**A/N: OMG! CHAPTER 70 FTW! LET'S CELEBRATE THIS YOUTHFUL VICTORY!...that was totally lame of me :3...  
**

**GAH! School is taking my time away from my writing (not to mention that it's given me the worst writers block I've ever had in my life :3) but I needed to update this story because many of you love it, but mostly, because this update is for a close friend! She's feeling down right now, and since this story is one her favorites, this update is meant to brighten up her spirits, cheer her up, and all that happy stuff! So, this chapter is dedicated to Bethy-Kins, the one person I can go to when I'm stumped about something and have a good laugh with about life! I hope that this chapter somehow cheers you up, hun! ENJOY EVERYONE!**

* * *

"You're such a cutie, yes you are! Yes you are!"

Caramel orbs lit up in fascination as the owner let out a cute little 'coo' and blew several spit bubbles in the process, earning quiet giggles from Hikari as she used a burp rag to wipe Kyo's mouth. She smiled down at his precious face and gently began to pet his raven colored hair. From the other side of the room, Sasuke's onyx eyes watched the interaction silently, his face expressionless the entire time. It was odd to see Hikari act so…so…

Motherly…

"Little Kyo-Kyo, you're so cute…" Hikari sang softly, humming the rest of the little tune she had made up.

Kyo cooed again, earning a bright smile from Hikari as she continued to hum softly, rocking him slowly in her arms. The week old baby yawned suddenly, his caramel eyes getting a tired haze to them as they slowly began to shut.

Sasuke continued to watch Hikari rock the newborn to sleep, until she stopped humming and laid the baby in his little crib, staying in place for a moment and smiling softly at the sleeping child before stepping away and over to the other side of the room where Sasuke was sitting.

Actually, Sasuke was surprised he was allowed to be inside the little house with Hikari and Kyo. The way Yuna had threatened him when he had arrived during the time Hikari was in labor, he thought she would've tried to kill him.

Of course, he would've killed Yuna first, but he couldn't do that with Hikari right in front of him. If he killed Yuna, the chain of events that would occur from there wouldn't be very pretty.

Plus, he didn't feel like wasting his time on killing someone that he had made a truce with.

"_Listen here, Uchiha. I don't care if you're the one that everyone is trying so hard to bring back to the Leaf, I will kill you if you even try to hurt her and that baby."_

"_I'm not here to hurt her, or the baby…I just…wanted to be here for her…"_

"…_.I'll buy that for now."_

The way Yuna had threatened him really didn't concern him, nor did it bother him. It actually surprised him. Why? Because she didn't threaten to kill him if he tried to take Hikari.

Which meant Hikari had kept the tidbit about going back with him to herself.

"I'm going back tomorrow."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Going…back?"

She nodded, quietly scrubbing at the plate she was washing, "Yuna says that the doctors should make sure that Kyo is completely healthy. Plus I have to get back to help with the rebuilding."

His eyes narrowed. How could she talk like that? Like helping the village was so important?

'_Why help rebuild it when I'm just going to burn it to the ground?'_

Hikari could feel his eyes on her back, but chose to not turn around and face him. She frowned lightly as she could feel the negativity and the hatred coming from him. It made her heart ache to no end.

'_How can someone harbor so much hatred for just one village?' _

Hikari knew the answer. She had heard it come from Sasuke a million times over and over. But what she couldn't understand was why he couldn't let it go. What happened in the past was in the past. Right now was the present, meaning it was time to just let it go and move forward with life.

She began to question if Sasuke even knew how to do that.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"She stopped washing the dishes, letting her hands just rest in the dishwater. "…First thing in the morning."

"Hn. I see."

She sighed quietly at the bitter tone he chose to use.

"So when are you going to go back with me?"

"Sasuke, please…not now."

"If not now, then when?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

"You're avoiding the topic."

"Because I'm not in the mood to discuss it."

"What is there to discuss? It's a simple question!"

"No, it's a decision which requires thought and plans. It's not simple at all."

"So you're just gonna stick with _them_?"

She frowned, "They're my friends. And the village is my home. How many times must I say that to you before you realize why I make the decisions I make?"

"How can you stand living on that side?" his voice rose in volume, "That side where the cold blooded killers are?"

"Look who's talking, Sasuke! What do you call the side that you're on? Hm? What is that side called? The side that joins up with the Akatsuki and kills people?"

"What are you talking about? You're on that side! And you've been on that side!"

She grabbed a nearby blanket and screamed into it, gripping it tightly as she screamed into it. She pulled away from it, and Sasuke's anger slowly dissipated when he saw tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I didn't choose to be on that side! I never wanted to be on that side!" She screamed at him, "I was taken against my will! I wasn't given the choice, because you wouldn't let me have another option! I couldn't go home, no matter how hard I tried to get away and go back! I begged you, and I begged you! You didn't care! You didn't care how I felt! YOU DIDN'T CARE AT ALL!"

"I don't care? Why the hell do you think I'm even here?"

She ignored his words, "How do you think I feel? Ever stopped to think about how I feel instead of yourself? Huh? I'm 16, and I have a child now! How do you think that makes me feel?"

"You weren't complaining before!"

"Well, now I am! It makes me feel like a stupid little child that wasn't thinking straight! I'm not even 18 yet, and now I have a kid! A kid who has a father that doesn't care about anything except revenge! How does that make me look? It makes me look bad!""I don't care? Everything I do is-"

He stopped when Kyo's crying reached his ears, Hikari running over and picking him up, rubbing his back to soothe him.

"Shh…."

Sasuke watched her silently, his anger disappearing as he walked over to her and hugged her tightly from behind, burying his face in her hair, inhaling the scent.

'_Vanilla…'_

They stayed like that, Hikari calming Kyo and Sasuke hugging her from behind while she did so.

"All I want…is to have a say in what I want…and have freedom."

No more was said. As soon as Yuna returned from gathering supplies for the journey home, Hikari went to bed without so much as a simple '_goodnight'. _

And after everyone was asleep, Sasuke stood from his bed and walked over to where Hikari was, gently pecking her cheek before looking over into Kyo's crib.

"Be good for your mom…" Sasuke whispered to the sleeping baby, petting his hair softly before going over to the window.

With one last glance at Hikari, he climbed out and ran off into the night.

* * *

"Hey, he's kinda cute! Haha, and he looks like Sasuke! Ow! HEY!"

Hikari giggled as Kyo pulled on Naruto's hair, the baby cooing happily at the reaction he got out of the blonde, resulting in him tugging again, earning another yelp from Naruto.

Naruto had been waiting by the gates for them, making Hikari feel happy to know that she had such a good friend. Slowly, several more people began to wander over to greet her, all of them congratulating her.

"Aw, he's so cute!" Sakura squealed, smiling at Kyo and giggling as he tugged on Naruto's hair again. "Looks like he likes you, Naruto!"

"Yeah, I'll say…"

Hikari gave him an apologetic smile as she pulled Kyo away from his face, the baby's caramel eyes finding Sai's face, the teen staring back at Kyo curiously for a minute before he gave his usual smile.

"Hello! My name is Sai."

Kyo made a gurgling noise, causing Hikari to laugh softly. "I think he likes you!"

Everyone laughed, making the atmosphere seem lighter. After a few more minutes of chatting with everyone, Hikari and Kyo were escorted home by Naruto.

"We all weren't expecting you to come home with the baby so soon. Actually, we weren't expecting you to have Kyo while you were away!" Naruto said, his signature grin on his face while he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

She smiled, looking down at Kyo's face, "I wanted to surprise everyone, I guess!"

Naruto's grin faded shortly afterwards, his brows knitting together as he frowned, "Does….Sasuke know?"

Hikari stopped walking when he asked the question, realizing that Naruto had stopped walking as well. The silence ensued, the only sound heard coming from the construction of the people working to rebuild Konoha. A gentle breeze blew by, causing several leaves to blow past them, Hikari's hair flying around in the wind.

"…Yes. He knows."

Naruto's hands balled into fists as they rested at his sides, his teeth silently clenched together. How could knowing the fact that you had a child not make you want to come home to care for that child? It was true that the blonde had never known what it was like to have a family and then suddenly have it taken away. But it was the fact of knowing what it was like to be alone felt like. And for that reason, he worried about Kyo. Sure, the new baby had his mother. But what if something were to happen to Hikari. Then the baby would have no one since Sasuke was still refusing to come home.

What would happen then?

"I'd like for you to be his godfather."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "W-what?"

Hikari smiled softly, adjusting Kyo in her arms, "I want someone dependable to be there for my son should anything ever happen to me. And since you're going to be Hokage one day, I know you're the one person I can trust the most with Kyo's future if something happens to me."

As her words reached his ears, he recalled their Genin days. He remembered how every time he would proclaim that he would one day have the title of Hokage, Sakura and Sasuke would always think he was just all talk and a hopeless knucklehead. While Hikari did agree with the knucklehead part…she would always tell Naruto he would make it one day. That he had potential.

"But…"

_That he could make his dream come true if he never gave up on it._

"Please…Naruto? You're the only one…that can take on this duty."

The truth behind the words: _'You're the only one who can try and be a father figure to him should he never know his real father…' _

Uzumaki Naruto, the hero of the Hidden Leaf village, son of Namikaze Minato, the fourth Hokage, and Uzumaki Kushina, smiled brightly.

"I accept the duty."

* * *

**A/N: The end!…**

…

…

**JUST KIDDING! Ahaha, I felt like I did a pretty decent job with this chapter! So…tell me your thoughts! LATER TATERS!**


	71. Confrontations

**A/N: Hi people, sorry that I'm not updating as fast as I normally do. Life is being stupid, and yeah...this chapter is special? Why? Weeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllll...it's...a collab! AHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Hikari: ….she's lost her mind...**

**Hope: Even my authoress says so...**

**_...hmph...**

**Bethy-Kins: you love us and you know it Twilight! :3**

**Yeah, yeah, you just keep thinking that...xD lol, nah, you're right :3!  
Hikari: *sighs* hopeless...**

**Hope: that they are my dear, that they are...**

**! I RESENT THAT! IGNORE THEM! IGNORE THEM I SAY!**

**Bethy-Kins: If only you could type correctly. It's like you're texting on my phone!  
Sigh...can I please no one these days?  
Hikari: apparently not!  
BE QUIET YOU!**

**Bethy-Kins: we're still friends, correct? You please me just fine *huggle***

**:3 of course we're still friends! Yay, hugs!**

**Hikari: -_-;;...**

**Hope: let's go Hikari, I still need to beat up my older brother for knocking you up! *runs off***

**Hikari: YEAH! I still need to beat up Twilight-sama for that...  
Gah! I said I was sorry! Go away now!**

**Bethy-Kins: It was technically my idea...well...not really, but I supported it!  
Hikari: meh...I still blame Twilight-sama! *runs off***

**This is what I deal with...but whatever! FOWARD AND ONTO THE STORY! ENJOY THE NEWEST CHAPTER :D!**

Disclaimer: Ahem! I, Twilight, own nothing! All characters belong to Kishimoto-san, with the exception of the OC's in this story! Hope belongs to Bethy-Kins! And we are in no way making profit off of this! Right?  
Bethy-Kins: Maaaaaaybeee, nah, we aren't.  
Yuna: Miss Twilight, what do you want me to do with the money that you-  
AHAHA ONWARDS WE GO!

* * *

Naruto groaned for what seemed like the millionth time as Kyo's crying reached his ears. He heard Hikari in the other room, trying to get the baby to calm down.

_"Please don't cry, Kyo. People are sleeping..." _

But the little baby continued to cry. And Naruto laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, glancing at the clock every so often. Eventually, he stopped glancing at the numbers, and spaced out. When he noticed the crying stopped, he blinked, his eyes still open. Had he fallen asleep without closing them?

'_Yes! He finally stopped crying! Peace and quiet, how I love you so!' _the blonde mentally rejoiced, snuggling into his blankets and pillow, letting out a contented sigh. But despite how comfortable and tired he had finally gotten, he couldn't go to sleep. He sighed softly, letting his mind wander. He thought about Sasuke, and why he still refused to come back, like he normally did, and from there, his thoughts went to a particular person, someone he hadn't seen in years. He found his lips moving as he thought about her.

"Hope..."

* * *

She walked up to the deserted ruins, her long cloak dragging against the ground, and dust coming up with each stride. Looking around, she sensed the faint feeling of the two's chakra. Sighing softly she sat on one of the giant boulders her brothers had made from one of the concrete walls._ 'Their chakra is still here, and blood stains. But neither is to be found. Nor any bodies nearby. Nagato-senpai will not be happy at all without any bodies...since both of them are missing...'_

Her thoughts trailed off as she felt a familiar chakra, her body tensing and her fists clasping around her katana's hilt she said his name in a whisper, but still loud enough to be heard aloud. "Nii-sama"

"How long has it been, Ane?" Sasuke mumbled, his onyx eyes void of any emotion. The small breeze blew a few strands of his raven hair around, not wavering his posture or facial expression at all.

"Years," her voice was dull and dark, her own raven hair lose from her normal ponytail, not bothering to look at him. Trying to keep off the subject of their seperation, "What did you do to Itachi?"

Sasuke had a feeling that would be the first thing out of her mouth. His eyes fell to the ground, a small hint of remorse in them, but not enough for anyone to notice. "I killed him."

She pulled her katana out of it's sheath. "Now, who gave you permission to do that? I came to retrieve him. And you go out and kill him." Her voice was monotonous like a robot, void of any emotion, but sarcasm heard clearly well.

"Hn. Why should I give you an answer? It's none of your business anyway." It wasn't that he owed her an explanation, but the fact that he felt guilty.

"It has been around more than five years since we've seen each other. I wonder what you look like now." She shook her head lightly, starting to walk away. "Not that it matters, you'll kill me before I have the chance."

Sasuke frowned as she started leaving. "And where are you going, Hope?"

Hope sighed, "I'm going back to base, to report his death."

"It's their fault that he's dead, you know. Konoha's."

She laughed to herself silently, "I know. But it wasn't the village directly, brother." She turned around, her normally onyx eyes red with her sharingan. A small smirk played on her lips, "It was the elders. But I have a plan for that."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

She didn't say anything but flipped her hair over her shoulder, starting to leave.

"I don't care if it wasn't the village directly. I'm going to burn it to the ground." He could only imagine Hikari's voice scolding him for saying that.

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Burn...our home..?"

"What kind of home kills an entire clan?"

"What kind of clan kills a home?"

That stopped him for a moment, a frown etched on his face. "You're just as bad as her..."

She giggled softly, "I heard. I also heard I'm an aunt already."

"Tch...who told you?"

She turned around and smiled softly, her face a stark resemblance to both him and Itachi. "Hikari came to see me the other day."

He frowned, "She came...to see you?"

"Yes, because she was upset you left her and her son alone in the damn mountains! I'm damn well surprised she came to see me! Your SISTER!" Hey eyes showed all the anger she held against him for the past few years.

"I didn't leave her there, that was her own choice! She wanted to go back to that damn village. I left because i didn't have the time to deal with it! It's none of your business anyway!"

Her gaze darkened even more, "She wanted to at least say goodbye to the father of her child. All you have to do is be there for her!" Her eyes teared up in the realization who he had become, "You're just like otou-sama! The bastard never took time for us! His children!" Internally she smirked at the sight of her older brother flinching, knowing she hit a tender spot.

"Shut-up, Ane..." he muttered dangerously.

"No! I will not shut up! You need some sense beaten into you!" She pulled her katana quickly out of it's sheath. "Even if it means I need to fight you senseless!"

He held his Kusangi tightly, "You don't get it. You never have. And you never will!"

Sending a rush of electricity into her sword, she attacked him.

Sasuke blocked her attack with ease, scoffing. "Hn. Pathetic."

She smirked, "That wasn't the attack itself." She jumped back as she stuck her sword into the ground, sending large dangerous bursts of the electricity around him, to isolate him.

He cursed softly, his eyes holding a smoldering glare. "I left because I don't want to lose them!"

She smiled adorably and pulled back her sword, "Thank you for finally telling the truth Nii-sama!" She giggled lightly and ran off, into the direction of the village.

* * *

Hope reached close to the outside wall of the village, whistling to call her raven to her and pulling out a small piece of parchment. "Send this to Hikari." She said to her beloved bird before it flew off.

* * *

Hikari sighed softly as she rocked Kyo, trying to get the baby to fall asleep so she could take a nap. Instead, the little boy pressed his face in her chest and continued pushing, letting her know what he wanted and that he wasn't going to give up till he got it. "Kyo, you ate already. It's nap time." but no matter what she did, the baby wasn't giving up. Hikari giggled softly and opened her shirt up, guiding the Kyo to his destination. The hungry baby latched on quickly, suckling quietly while Hikari held him, petting his hair gently.

A caw coming from the window made her turn to look, a raven perched on a tree branch outside. She stared at it curiously before giving a whistle, the raven flying inside and landing on her shoulder. "What have you got there?" she asked, taking the note from the bird. She opened it and read it.

The note was written in Hope's signature semi-cursive semi-print handwriting:  
_Hikari, I just confronted Sasuke like you asked. He left you because he felt guilty. He does not want to lose you. He was truthful even though I had to force it out of him. I'll keep trying to bring him back, no promises. Please tell Naruto I am not with the Akatsuki anymore. Hope._

Hikari smiled slightly. _'Thanks...Hope.' _"Naruto, come here please!"

Naruto ran in, a frantic look on his face. "You're okay, right? K-Kyo's not hurt, is he?"

She rolled her eyes and giggled, "We're fine, ya knucklehead. But here. I have something for you." Her voice was soft as she handed him the note. She watched his face change from expressionless to a happy grin. For no reason, he flipped the note to the back, blinking when he saw more writing.

_Naruto, even though I did leave the Akatsuki, that does not mean I'm coming back to the village. Sorry. The pain is to great to bear to be there. And most villagers see me as a criminal. But. I will be living in the mountains. You can always visit. Hope._

Though he was a little disappointed, he still found himself smiling.

* * *

Naruto anxiously walked faster, stopping to let Hikari catch up before walking faster again. Hikari giggled and shook her head, "Naruto, you can go on ahead. I'm fine, and so is Kyo!"

Naruto shook his head, and continued doing what he was doing till they reached their destination. Instantly, he was looking for the person they were here to visit.

Hope let out a small giggle as she saw the two, especially Naruto's silly reactions to looking for her.

Hikari mumbled under her breath while rolling her eyes, "Knukclehead..."

Naruto groaned, "Where is she?"

Hope's bell-like voice was loud and clear throughout the clearing. "Here you knucklehead!"

Naruto looked in the direction her voice came from, a grin breaking out on his face. "Hey!"

She rolled her eyes in a very Sasuke-like fashion, gaining the habit from him. "You just gonna stand there or what?"

Naruto ran forward quickly, a grin on his face. "Hope!"

She smiled softly, a hand on her hip, her hair blowing out obnoxiously in her face.

Naruto hugged her tightly, Hikari laughing at the scene before her. "Wow..."

Hope squealed in surprise when he suddenly spun her around in his arms. "Down, down! I'm still injured!"

Naruto let her go instantly, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry..."

She was panting lightly, her injury having taken a lot out of her energy.

"Are you okay?" Hikari asked softly, fixing Kyo's pacifier.

Hope nodded a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "Leaving the Akatsuki isn't a simple task."

Hikari smiled, Kyo making a loud noise. "Calm down, little prince..."

Hope reached out her hands so she could hold him, "Can I hold him?"

Hikari smiled softly, "Of course you can." her voice was gentle, and carefully, she handed the baby to Hope.

She took him, her onyx orbs full of wonder and love for the baby she barley knew. "He's beautiful."

Kyo cooed cutely and stared up at the stranger with curious chocolate eyes. Hikari smiled softly as she watched them. "I think he likes you."

Hope smiled softly, "Hi there Kyo-kyo! I'm your auntie Hope!"

Kyo smiled adorably and cooed.

Hope smiled in delight, "Hikari-nii! Did you see that!"

Hikari giggled softly and nodded, "I did!"

She giggled and winced slightly, her injury festering under it's bandages. Handing Kyo back to Hikari, she rubbed the bandages lightly.

"How did that happen?" Hikari asked, pointing at the bandages.

Hope looked down at the ground, her hair covering her eyes, "Sasuke did it."

Hikari frowned and looked away, "Stupid Duck-butt..."

"It was my fault Hikari. I picked a fight with him."

Hikari sighed, still mad with Sasuke. "I'm gonna take a walk..."

She looked at Naruto, her onyx eyes deeply troubled.

Naruto sighed softly as he watched Hikari's retreating form, "She's sort of been like that since she came home..."

"I feel like I failed her...Sasuke didn't do this. But they caught me talking with him. Thats why."

Naruto hugged her. "Don't blame yourself..."

She rested her head on his shoulder, "It's my fault dammit! I can't bring my brother home! And let him kill my oldest brother!"

Naruto looked at her seriously. "Stop that."

Flinching from the harshness, of his voice she let out a small whimper.

Naruto sighed softly, letting his forehead press against hers.

She closed her eyes, pressing her hands against his chest, fisting his shirt.

Naruto, feeling bold, tilted her chin up so he could stare into his eyes for a moment before kissing her softly.

From that action a furious blush painted her ivory skin, her hands relaxing but staying there on his chest.

Naruto let his fingers tangle into her hair gently, not breaking the kiss because he liked the closeness.

Hope tried to push him away lightly, her eyes tearing up. "Please...tell me Hikari's going to be okay."

Naruto sighed softly, "Hikari is tough. Plus...I'm there for her...and so is Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, and everyone else in the village. We're all there." He couldn't help but smile.

She let out a small smile, her tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry, or Hikari will come back and beat my ass for making you cry!"

Shaking her head, she stated, "I'm not sad! I'm happy!"

Naruto grinned and kisses her nose. "Good!"

She blushed even harder, not having been that close with him in more than two years.

"You're blushing..."

"Y-yeah? S-so?"

"...it's cute."

She blushed even harder, burying her face in his chest.

Hikari watched from afar, smiling softly and shaking her head, while feeling a little jealous. But she didn't let it bother her. Sure, she wished that Sasuke were around so they could hold eachother, but she was happy for Naruto and Hope.

Naruto kissed Hope's hair, massaging her neck lightly. "You're cute..."

"Th-thanks Naruto-kun"

At least there was some happiness in the world.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that went well!**

**Bethy-Kins: mhm!**

**There would've been more, but we ran out of ideas xD so this is what we give to you instead!**

**Bethy-Kins: We should collaborate more often! Right!**

**We should! This was fun!**

**Bethy-Kins: If we get more positive reviews on it dearie!**

**Yep! Hear that guys! GIVE POSITIVE FEEDBACK!**

**Bethy-Kins; And any flames will be used to start and keep our fireplaces running though these cold winter times here in Iowa...with no snow...not even for Christmas...**

**Meh, it never snows here...it's only 57 degress outside right now...**

**Bethy-Kins; It's raining and freezing my car doors shut. I want some damn snow!**

**It's snowing in Amarillo...but not here**

**Bethy-kins: *huggle***

**IT NEVER SNOWS HERE!**

Hikari: Let it go, Twilight-sama...

**Bethy-kins: *hides***

**Ehehe, sorry ^_^;; Anyways, we can all be happy since we finished this before Christmas. And I've temporarily saved my laptop, so now I can start saving things on to CD's :D!**

**Bethy-Kins: *face palms* only her friends know why it keeps dying *cough cough* **

**D it wasn't my fault! I did nothing! Nothing!**

**Bethy-Kins: suuuuuurreeee**

**Sigh...anyway, let us know if you guys liked it :) We like feedback! Merry Christmas! LATER TATERS!**

**Bethy-Kins: bye gais!**


	72. Stop Living in a Dream

**A/N: You know how time gets away from you and you forget really important stuff? A perect example of this? Myself! Because I am cursed my good people. Cursed with this horrible, horrible disease known as writers block. Tis a curable disease, yes, but...well, it just...won't seem to go away ;A;...**

**Hikari: She's just a lazy butt authoress who-**

**Shh! Well, actually, that is somewhat true, but it's school. It stresses me out. Plus, my boyfriend distracts me from my work too ^_^;; Don't tell him I said that, but he knows it's true xD My laptop gives me a lot more problems than it used to nowadays, so that's a partial reason as to why my updates are so prolonged. Come summer time, I'm sure that I'll be back to updating fast and stuff! I hope...oh, last chapter seemed to confuse many of you! It was a collab chapter, so disregard it xD though I have to say, I liked how we did it ^_^ But I just think we confused everyone way too much xD But I hope this chapter goes well! Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure that if I owned Naruto, I'd be stinking I obviously do not**!

Curious little eyes stared up Hikari as she picked Kyo up from his crib gently, humming a soft tune. The little baby cooed quietly as his mother carried him into the kitchen, where a small little tub rested in the sink.

"Bath time my little prince~!" Hikari chimed, laying Kyo down on a soft blanket that was resting on the kitchen counter. Kyo cooed happily as Hikar began to turn the water on, the sound making the baby laugh, causing Hikari to giggle softly as she made sure the water was warm enough. She pulled off his diaper and discarded of it as soon as she laid a clean one out. She picked the baby up gently and carefully placed him in the little tub. Before she could start washing him, someone knocked on the door.

"It's open!"

The door opened quietly and in walked Naruto, his blonde hair bright as ever, along with his signature grin.

"Hey!"

Hikari smiled, petting Kyo's hair, "Hey there, stranger..."

Naruto grinned, noticing she was in the process of bathing Kyo. "Can I bathe him?"  
Hikari blinked, surprised at the question, before smiling softly and nodding. "Sure!" she stepped aside to let him stand at the sink, sitting down at the kitchen table and watching.

Naruto grinned down at Kyo, the baby cooing happily as Naruto began to wash him gently. Kyo giggled, causing the blonde to grin. But his grin was soon replaced with a look of fear when what was left of Kyo's umbilical cord fell off. But since Naruto wasn't that educated with child care and development, he thought that he had done something wrong.

"What's wrong, Naruto? You look like you've just witnessed something utterly despicable..."

"I'm sorry!" Naruto exclaimed out of nowhere, Hikari confused as to why he was suddenly apologizing. She stood up and walked over to the sink, noticing what had Naruto so afraid. "I didn't mean to make it fall off!"

She laughed softly, shaking her head, "Naruto, relax. You've done nothing wrong! The umbilical cord is supposed to fall off a few weeks after a baby is born. It's perfectly natural."

He instantly calmed down. "Oh!" he smiled sheepishly, grabbing the bottle of baby shampoo and squirting some into the palm of his hand, massaging it gently into kyos raven hair, Hikari supervising. As soon as he rinsed his hair and everything else off, he picked kyo up out of the water and laid him on a towel and proceeded to dry him off thoroughly. As soon as it came to putting a diaper on, he stepped aside and let the child's mother do it, since he couldn't even figure it out.

Hikari smiled down at her child and powdered his bottom to prevent diaper rash, before easily putting the diaper on. She picked up the pair of clothes she had picked out and put them on Kyo before she picked him up again and dried his hair some more before carrying him over to the couch with her, laying down and resting him on her chest. Kyo yawned cutely, his eyes growing sleepy, Hikari's right hand rubbing his tiny back soothingly until he was fast asleep.

Hikari was someone who was dedicated to many things, but if she were dedicated to one important thing, she would have to say it would be to Kyo.

He was her little prince.

* * *

The door to the old bomb shelter creaked loudly as it was slowly pushed open. Onyx eyes surveyed the inside slowly, slight disappointment flickering in the normally cold eyes before disappearing. Their owner walked inside quietly, looking around the house. If the place had not been so clean, he would've assumed that no one had been there in years. But it was spotless. Not a speck of dust anywhere.

And the room smelt of jasmine and vanilla. That scent...

It was _her _scent.

Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes scanning the room. It wasn't like he hadn't been expecting the house to be empty. Hikari had made it very clear that she was going to be gone. He regretted leaving in the middle of the night before she went home. He rested his head in his hands, sighing silently and closing his eyes.

When he reopened them, they caught sight of a piece of paper on the floor. Instinctively, Sasuke picked it up and looked at it, noticing that it had writing all over it. Silently, he began to read.

_I'm sorry. But you didn't even tell me goodbye before I left. I don't want Kyo to live the life we've been living for the past few months. I want him to grow in a safe enviornment. And Konoha...is where he can grow up and flourish...and that's what I want for him. No child deserves to live in a world full of so much hate and sorrow. Because this child...he's a child of the future...and he's the start of the next generation. This little baby is the future. And I will make sure he stays safe...even if I have to risk my life. I will do it._

_I love you, Sasuke. And I love my home and my friends. I just...I just don't know what I can do...to make you understand..._

_I love you..._

_~Hikari_

Slowly, Sasuke crumpled the note, clenching his fist tightly. He couldn't understand it. She was always saying things that he could never understand. Why would anyone want to go back to a village that ordered a massacre to an entire clan? It was crazy. And...

'_Why is she always apologizing?'_ Sasuke asked himself, staring intently at the floor. Hikari never did anything wrong, and yet, she was always apologizing as if she had done something terrible. It just didn't make sense.

He laid down on the bed, inhaling the scent of the pillow that smelt of Hikari's shampoo. It had been weeks since he had been able to take in that scent. It calmed him so much whenever it reached his nose. Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes as they grew heavy, the smell of the pillow lulling him to sleep quickly.

"_**Ne, Sasuke!"**_

_That voice..._

_Sasuke's eyes opened as he felt someone sit on top of him, straddling his waist. He looked up to see Hikari, smiling softly, her brown eyes gentle and loving as they stared directly at him as if they were staring into his soul. Her hair was free from the braid she wore it in normally, resting against her shoulders. He remembered the time that he saw her cut it easily with a kunai knife when it got to a length that she strongly disliked because it made her look too much like her deceased mother. She looked so pretty with it down..._

"_Hikari...?"_

_She giggled softly, smiling warmly. "You sleep too much!"_

_Here was the girl who had no clue who he was back when they first started the academy. The first girl who he had to tell his name to. If he had known just how special she would grow to be to him back then, he would've instantly said that she was unique from the start. But he could only say that now since he was older. This was the girl who had gone to so many lengths to show him so much kindness. The girl who was willing to risk her life for him when he was in need of help. The girl who tried to make him see the light within the darkness that he was in. The girl who had tried so hard for him. The girl who loved him with all her heart._

_The girl who had given him a child..._

_Hikari gently touched his cheek, causing him to blink. "What are you doing here...?"_

_Her eyes had so many different emotions running in them, but Sasuke could clearly see one. "I...I want you..."_

_**Lust.**_

_Hikari squeaked softly as Sasuke flipped them. He was able to see her outfit entirely now that she was under him. A white sundress. It suited her very well, Sasuke thought to himself as he grazed his nose along her collar bone, earning a small gasp from her. It was enough to reach his member. _

"_You drive me insane..." he whispered into her ear, nipping it lightly while pulling the straps of her dress down slowly before tugging the entire front off. He hardened even more when he realized she wasn't even wearing a bra. It was like Christmas._

_Hikari tangled her slender fingers in his hair as she crashed her lips into his, kissing him with a raw passion that Sasuke had no idea she even had in her. He kissed back,raising his arms up as Hikari began tugging off his shirt, not bothering to see where she even threw it. He could care less at the moment. _

_Clothes flew off and onto the floor, and soon, Sasuke hovered above Hikari, staring into her eyes with a hungry look. His as shut as he felt something lightly touch his manhood, a moan falling from his mouth. _

_Hikari gently moved her hand up and down, pumping his member to the point where he was going crazy with need. He pulled her hand away and pinned both of them above her head. _

"_Please, Sasuke..."_

"_Please what?"_

_Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glazed as her lips parted slightly. "Make love to me..." _

_Slowly, he pushed in, causing them both to moan. He started at a slow pace, Hikari wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck._

"_F-faster...go faster..."_

_And he went faster. He felt Hikari's heels dig into his back as he increased his speed, moaning loudly. Hikari writhed in pure pleasure, arching her back and chanting his name softly like a mantra. Sasuke kept thrusting until he felt like he was going to explode. _

"H-Hikari..." Sasuke moaned, his hand becoming covered in his seed, ultimately waking him up. He sat up and wiped his hand clean with a paper towel, realizing the sad truth that he had only been dreaming. He laid back, his pants still excruciatingly tight as the images from the dream were vividly running through his mind.

When was he going to stop living in a dream?

The sound of someone walking in made him look over at the door. He thought he was dreaming again when he saw the one who was giving him all these problems standing in the doorway, apparently shocked at what she was seeing. Sasuke resting in her bed, a large tent in his pants while he had a hand down them. And the sheets...

"Why are you jerking off in my bed?" Hikari screeched, running over and grabbing her pillow, hugging it to her. She checked for stains, making sure he had not gotten it dirty with whatever activities he may have been doing in her bed before she had walked in, though she had to admit it was kind of hot, but still! Those kinds of things shouldn't be performed around her pillow.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked, surprised she had even come back to this place.

"I left my pillow..."

….Who the hell comes back for a measly pillow?

"You came back for a pillow?"

"Yes. Yes, I did. And if you think that for one second that I am going to-mmph!" She was cut off by his lips crashing into hers, and though she tried to resist, she couldnt' help but melt.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, panting lightly. His boner was gone, and he was suddenly more relaxed. They stayed like that, silent for what seemed like an hour, when it had only been a few minutes.

"How's Kyo?" Sasuke asked, his voice soft.

"...He's doing good. He looks a lot like you...he's definitely your son."

If they had both known that there was someone outside of the house who always wore a bright orange mask, the topic of Kyo would have never been brought up.

**A/N: I'm sure we can all guess who the mystery character at the end is xD This chapter wouldn't exist currently if Bethy-Kins had not helped me and made me motivated enough to work on it. I still feel like I should've done something different, but for now, this will have to do! Leave a review! LATER TATERS!**


	73. Diver

**A/N: What the fuck is wrong with me? I haven't updated this story in four freakin months?! Gah, what the hell is wrong with me?! Ugh….I'm sorry guys. Life is hectic, and to be completely and utterly honest with the lot of ya that still even read this story (which is surprisingly a lot of people) I kind of have writers block with this story. I mean, I know what I want to do with it, but yet I can't seem to figure out how to put it into the right words ^^;; So the last few chapters were kind of…fillerish, and they all sucked like crap! AHAHAH! But we should actually be progressing in some sort of plot now. At least I think so…I'm not sure yet, seeing as how I'm writing this authors note before I even start working on the chapter…mah…anyway, if I say I'm going on Hiatus with this story…you'll all stone me. And I know one person will be encouraging me nonstop to get off my lazy bum and get back to work (she's a good friend like that!) so I'll just shut-up now and…oh just go and read _! ENJOY!Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters. Hikari, Yuna, Hiroshi, and any other oc in this story is mine though!**

* * *

_**Running, Running, Running…**_

"_What's…that sound? It sounds like…yelling."_

_**It's screaming.**_

"_Screaming?"_

_Hikari stopped running as her eyes took in the sight of smoke and flames, feeling her heart stop at where it was coming from. _

_The village. It was burning._

"_W-what happened?! What's going on?!" Hikari shouted, looking around in utter shock as she took in the sight. There were villagers on the ground, laying in pools of their own blood. "What…what happened?" Hikari asked helplessly, feeling her stomach churn uncomfortably as she came across the sight of a dead women, holding her child close to her as though she had been trying to protect her child from whatever did this. She frowned as she stepped on something, lifting her foot to see what it was, tears forming in her eyes._

_A Leaf ninja headband, all scratched up from battle. _

_She bent down and picked it up, holding it in her hand tightly as she looked straight ahead and dashed off. _

_**This is the fate of the village. To burn to the ground. **_

"_You're wrong! It's a lie! The village will never burn to the ground! Ever!" Hikari argued, tears forming in her eyes. __**Don't lie to yourself. Look around you. Your friends are dead, and your village is burning down. Try telling me it's a lie now.**_

_She stopped running and looked around, frustrated, "Shut-up! There's no way that this could ever happen! Ever! Just shut-up you son of a-""HIKARI!" _

_She was knocked to the ground by an orange blur, her brown eyes meeting azure ones. _

"_N…Naruto?" _

_Naruto grunted in response, blood dripping down the side of his chin as he gave her a weak smile. "S-sorry, Hikari….but I don't think…I'm going to-NNGH!" Naruto winced, his azure eyes going wide as a blade pierced him from behind, the end coming out through the front of his chest. Hikari stopped breathing as the blonde fell to the side, unmoving. _

"_Naruto…? No…no, no, no, no!" She cried, looking up as she heard laughter. _

"_Not so much of a hero now, are you Naruto?" Sasuke smirked, pulling his Kusangi from Naruto's lifeless body, his onyx eyes landing on Hikari. "See Hikari? I told you that I'd burn Konoha to the ground." His smirk widened when she didn't reply, her body trembling. "And now that I've killed one of my last remaining nuisances, I'm going to kill the last of my problems off!" he declared, getting in a stance and running at her, Sharingan activated. _

_She made no indication of moving, her body frozen in place. Was this really happening? Was Sasuke…really going to kill her? _

"_Die!"_

Hikari's eyes flew open as Kyo's crying reached her ears. She was breathing heavily, her heart beating fast in her chest. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm down.

It had only been a dream. A dream that had been scarily realistic.

She got up from her bed and moved over to Kyo's crib, lifting the baby gently and holding him close to her, more so to comfort her than to comfort him though the child instantly began to calm down.

"Shhh…it's okay baby. It's okay. I'm here…I'm here." Hikari murmured, petting the 4 month olds raven locks. She looked at the clock and noticed it was already 9:30 AM. She smiled down at Kyo as he cooed, kissing the top of his head.

It was time to start the day.

* * *

_**The horizon's fading out and drifting away**_

_**And the blue sky can no longer foretell**_

_**The approach of a new day**_

_**Looking around I see people so still**_

_**That they can't even breathe**_

_**But as I stood here watching**_

_**The same thing has happened to me**_

_**Sadness fills my heart as I start to fall**_

_**Maybe it'd be better to leave it all**_

_**But if I do then I'll lose the chance to be in front**_

_**But as the world seemed to succumb to the dark of the night**_

_**Your smile broke through with a radiant light **_

_**Giving me the strength to carry on**_

_**I want to breathe once more**_

_**With no more pain to endure **_

_**Living in this darkness I'll never get higher**_

_**Just like a drowning powerless diver**_

_**I know that when I find a way to breathe**_

_**Happiness will finally replace the despair in my cold heart and then**_

_**I'll never drown again**_

* * *

"Man, I wish I had some ramen right about now!"

"Eating ramen all the time isn't good for you, Naruto." Sakura chided, "You should at least eat something else that isn't ramen every other day, or eat something healthy with your ramen."

"But I don't like any of that healthy junk! It tastes gross!" Naruto complained, making a face.

I giggled as the two continued talking about Naruto's diet as we all walked with Kakashi-sensei, Kyo in his baby sling on my back. It was a nice day, even though the village was still completely gone, some parts rebuilt, but only a very small amount. But with the immense support of all the villagers it would be rebuilt in no time hopefully.

At least it hadn't burned down like in my nightmare.

"Oi!"

We all stopped walking and turned around to see Kiba on Akamaru's back, the dog running over to us and skidding to a stop.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" Sakura asked, looking at him questioningly.

He had a somewhat serious yet upset look on his face, "Now stay calm and listen! Lady Tsunade has been relieved as the Hokage!"

"What?"

"Huh?"

"It seems someone named Danzo is the Sixth Hokage! I don't know too much, but apparently he's been active behind the scenes.""Danzo?" Sakura asked, a frown on her face.

"And that's not the only shocking thing!" there was more?! "The Sixth Hokage declared Sasuke as a Rouge Ninja, and has given the approval to hunt him down!"

I felt my breathing and heart stop all together, as though the wind had been knocked right of me. That fool…that fool had been made the new Hokage and was now permitting people to hunt Sasuke down…?

"What the hell is going on?!" Naruto yelled, not taking the news well either.

"Even I don't understand!" Kiba exclaimed, not sure what to say.

"They couldn't wait until Lady Tsunade recovered. It makes sense in a way." Kakashi sensei supplied, all of us turning to look at him.

"Kakashi Sensei…" Naruto began, only to have our Sensei stop him.

"Sasuke is indeed a Rogue Ninja. Normally, he would have been eliminated long ago. It's only because of Lady Tsunade that he's been allowed to live."

"I'm going to see this Danzo!" Sakura declared, starting to walk away when Kakashi Sensei reached his hand out and placed it on her shoulder to stop her.

"Wait, Sakura! Storming into his office will solve nothing."

"Lady Tsunade isn't even conscious yet! How could they do this to her?! And what about Sasuke?" her facial expression went from hostile to gentle and sad before returning to hostile, "You can't expect me to keep quiet!"

Naruto started to walk off. "I'm coming with you.""Calm down, you two. At a time like this, staying calm is crucial or things won't work out."

"How can I stay calm?! I won't let them lay a hand on Sasuke!" Naruto yelled angrily, Kakashi Sensei grabbing his wrist to keep him from going anywhere.

"I said wait! Danzo has already figured out that this is how you'll react. So you'll go see him, then what?""I won't do anything violent! I just want to talk to him and ask him to change his mind out about Sasuke!"

"He won't listen to either of you…" I mumbled, staring at the ground as they all looked over at me, Kakashi Sensei the only one probably that knew why. "Danzo was appointed by the feudal lord. And even though the vote of confidence has yet to be determined from the Jonin, he's still the Hokage."

"If you make the wrong move, you'll be thrown into jail." Sensei added.

"That's fine with me!" Naruto shouted, his stubbornness showing as he ripped his wrist from our sensei's hand, "I'm going!"

"Me too!" Sakura said, following after Naruto.

"H-Hey guys…"

"Naruto, you possess the Nine-Tails."

He stopped and turned around, holding this angry and annoyed look in his eyes. "What about it?"

"Danzo would like nothing better than to confine you in this village. Do you want to be locked up in jail?" Kakashi Sensei asked, "That's exactly what he wants. Then you won't be able to look for Sasuke."

"In other words…going to see him and yell at him will just be you digging yourself a bigger grave…" I mumbled, watching as Naruto began to understand.

"Fine…"

Sai was walking by himself when he heard his name being called.

"Sai!"

Looking up, he saw Sakura and Naruto running over to him, Hikari's walking behind them since she had Kyo in the baby sling on her back.

"We were just looking for you!" Sakura explained as they stopped in front of him."We need to talk to you." Naruto said, his face serious.

Sai looked at them both before glancing at Hikari, noticing the distressed look on her face. "What is it?"

"Tell us what you know about Danzo." Sakura said, only to be met with silence as a response. "Sai!"

"That's impossible." Sai calmly told them.

"Why?!" Naruto demanded.

Hikari tuned them all out and stared up at the Hokage faces as though trying to find the answer to her problems by staring at them. Having to listen to her friends talk about helping Sasuke bothered her. He wouldn't let them help him, but she wondered if both Sakura and Naruto knew that. They had this idea that they could bring him home and everything would go back to being normal just like things were before Sasuke even left the village. But they were wrong.

'_They're so stupid…' _Hikari thought to herself, knowing it was mean and a little too harsh to say that about her two closest friends, but it was true. _'Even if they bring him back…even if they succeed…nothing will be the same ever again. Sasuke will never be the same. He'll be under constant surveillance 24/7. Or worse…he'll end up being put to death…Nothing will ever change. Not even I can get him to think about the ones that really love him…it's as if those memories and tender feelings have been completely obliterated from his mind and heart…'_

The sound of a sword being unsheathed directed her attention to the side, finding a girl with red hair that was around their age pointing a blade at her.

"You can tell us all about this Sasuke fellow!" the red head said, her amber eyes holding a smoldering glare in them, "You seem to be his friends!"

Before she could react, Naruto had grabbed Sai's Katana and knocked the girl's sword away from Hikari, gently pushing Hikari back so she wouldn't get hurt. The red heads partner blocked Naruto's arm, and Naruto summoned a few shadow clones, one, grabbing the girls blade as she tried to strike down the real Naruto. Sai and Sakura went into action and rushed over. The boy grabbed his partners shoulders and spun, kicking Sakura back.

Naruto caught her and glared at the two intruders while Hikari studied their headbands.

"Hidden Cloud ninja…" Hikari mumbled as Sai moved over to her.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. And so is Kyo…" Hikari said, looking back to see the 4 month old still sleeping away.

"What the hell do you guys want?!" Naruto yelled, glaring at the two Cloud ninja angrily.

"You were just talking about Sasuke!" the boy explained, the senbon in his mouth reminding Hikari of Genma. "Tell us what you were saying!"

"It's got nothing to do with you Cloud Ninja!" Sakura said, glaring at them heatedly.

"It's got everything to do with us! Sasuke of the Hidden Leaf attacked our village!" the boy explained, pointing a finger at the four accusingly.

"Your Rogue Ninja abducted our master! We don't even know if our master is dead or alive, you idiots!"

Kyo's cry caused everyone to stop yelling, Hikari pulling him from the baby sling and holding him close, trying to calm him. Everyone continued arguing even after she had tried calming the baby down, staring at the ground as the words being thrown back and forth at each side echoed through her mind.

"You guys let your Rogue Ninja roam free, so Lord Raikage ordered us to come here. And we've gotten your Hokage's permission to get rid of the Uchiha!"

Hikari was the only one who knew what they were talking about. The Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails. They had kidnapped him after battling him and brought him back to Madara. She hadn't participated in the battle, but she had been there as an accomplice. She could understand why they were angry.

"We'll get our revenge!"

"The Uchiha is ours!" The red head declared, making something inside Hikari boil.

"How dare you…" Hikari mumbled under her breath where no one could hear her.

The red head pointed her blade at them again, "You will tell us everything you know about Sasuke. Of course, his ninjutsu style and powers, but also any data you have gathered about the Akatsuki and Sasuke's partners, as well as their past actions."

"No way! It's a lie! Sasuke wouldn't join the Akatsuki!" Sakura exclaimed, refusing to believe anything they were saying.

"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked, not believing it either.

"Yes! The Uchiha family crest was verified! And his facial composite matched the list!"

"That's…That's not poss…" Sakura began, unable to finish her sentence, hiding her face in her hands and sobbing softly.

"Why are you crying?! We're the ones who want to cry! Your tears won't bring back Lord Killer Bee or Lady Yugito! If you have time to cry, then start talking about Sasuke!"

"Shut-up…"

The red haired girl looked at Hikari, glaring at her. "Excuse me?!" she screeched, watching Hikari look up at her with angry eyes.

"I said shut-up! You think that yelling at us and telling us these horrible things is going to help you get your information about Sasuke?! Because with the way you are talking about our friend and speaking to us so rudely, I'm not going to tell you two idiots a thing. The information you want should've been given to you in the first place! I will not allow you to speak such words in front of my son about his-" she stopped before she could say more, biting her lip and holding Kyo closer to her, tears blurring her vision.

Was this how everything was going to be like for the rest of her life? Would she have to spend every waking day listening to people talk about Sasuke? What would she tell her son when he was old enough to understand everyone's words and ask her why people talked about his father so bitterly? How do you tell your own child about the awful crimes that their father has committed?

It wasn't fair to her nor to Kyo.

* * *

_**~A couple of hours later~**_

"Naruto, you look terrible…" Yuna mumbled softly, the mere sight of his bloody and bruised face making her grimace. Sai came into the tent with a medicine box in his hand, Kakashi following him inside.

"Here you go, Yuna Sensei," Sai said, handing the box to her and watching her open it.

"Thank you, Sai. All right, this might sting a little bit but bear with me, okay?" Yuna said, dabbing a cut on Naruto's cheek with an alcohol pad. She worked in silence, wrapping his injuries carefully so as not to cause him more pain than necessary.

"Maybe I should go get Sakura. She might be able to help as well." Sai suggested.

"No, it's okay," Naruto said with a small smile, "If she sees me like this, it'll just cause more trouble. Besides, I heal fast." Naruto added in, watching as Yuna finished bandaging his arm up before speaking again, "Sai."

"Hm?"

"What you did earlier… Thanks."

Sai stared at him blankly for a few seconds before smiling at him, "No problem."

"Boy, they really worked you over." Kakashi stated quietly, earning a smirk from the blonde before it turned into a wince.

"Oww!"

"Sorry!" Yuna apologized.

"You'd better take some time to recuperate." Kakashi said, knowing that rest was the best thing for Naruto right now.

"I'm going to see the Raikage!" Naruto declared, earning shocked gasps from Yuna and Yamato.

"The Raikage?!"

"What are you saying?! The Five Kage Summit is about to convene!" Yamato said, knowing that letting Naruto go see the Land of Lightning's leader was simply not possible, "It is agreed that ever Hidden Village will exercise restraint in leaving their lands and conducting radical missions!"

"What will you do by seeing him?" Kakashi asked calmly.

Naruto smiled, "I'm going to convince him to forgive Sasuke!"

"Right now, you don't have the necklace that seals the Tailed Beast! A Jinchuriki like you must not leave the village!" Yamato explained, a disapproving frown on his face, "It's bad enough that as many as eight tails transformed during that last battle! We were lucky that the seal activated in time to suppress the Nine-Tails, but who knows about the next time? Besides, I'm in charge of the village reconstruction. I cannot stay by you all the time."

Naruto closed his eyes, "I met the Fourth Hokage." Those five words made them all stare at Naruto with wide eyes while the boy merely smiled, "That last time, it was the Fourth Hokage who stopped my Nine-Tails transformation."

Yamato looked at Kakashi in confusion, "W-What does he mean? The Fourth Hokage passed away a long…"

"There are still many mysteries to the Reaper Death Seal. He probably sealed his own mental energy into the sealing spell." Kakashi explained.

"That's when the Fourth Hokage told me…A man wearing the Akatsuki mask instigated the Nine-Tails incident 16 years ago. And he was so strong the even the Fourth Hokage was almost no match for him! On top of that, he said that this guy was the mastermind that was probably using Pain."

"He's using Sasuke…just as he used Pain." A voice added, everyone looking over at the entrance of the tent to see Hikari walk in.

"Hikari…" Naruto mumbled, watching as she stepped further into the tent, Yoru by her side.

"The man you speak of…he's a monster. When Sasuke killed Itachi…Madara told him some things that I personally think should've just remained under wraps. Sasuke was convinced that he was lying at first, but…he eventually started to believe him. The hatred Madara Uchiha has for this village that he too once called home has been passed on to Sasuke. What little light that he had left inside of him…I'm afraid that it's completely been shrouded in the darkness that has consumed his heart." Hikari explained sadly, look down at the floor."And only he, Madara, is capable of summoning the Nine-Tails." Kakashi said, Naruto looking at him with surprise in his eyes.

"Anything is possible if it involves Madara." Yamato said, frowning lightly, "So he's still alive."

"Who's Madara?" Naruto asked, not understanding who this 'Madara' person was.

"A man who was defeated by the First Hokage. The former leader of the Uchiha Clan of the Hidden Leaf Village." Kakashi explained, "The higher-ups must be informed of this. Sai?"

"Yes?"

"Report this to the Hokage."

"R-Right."

Kakashi looked back at the blonde haired teen, his one visible eye somewhat solemn. "Naruto. What did the Fourth Hokage say to you?" Naruto seemed taken aback at the sudden question, staying quiet as his teacher stared at him, as though he were recollecting something before his mind was pulled back to the present. "Fathers like to tell their sons all sorts of things, right?"

Naruto looked down at his lap, fisting the sheets tightly while everyone remained silent, Sai glancing at him curiously. Hikari smiled when she saw a smile slowly forming on the blondes bandaged face as he opened his mouth and looked up at them all with a bright grin.

"He said…he _**believed **_in me!"

Knowing that someone believed in you was enough to bring a person plenty of joy.

* * *

**A/N: Nnh…review! LATER TATERS!**


	74. The way of Uchiha Sasuke

**A/N: So, I got a new laptop as an early christmas present. But that's not really an excuse as to why I haven't updated since the beginning of October. School is really time consuming, okay? Plus I've been in this stupid slump all year and have no ideas or anything...like, all my motivation for things has just completely disappeared. But the two year mark for this story is coming up, so I figured that I should update. My new years resolution for 2013: Update more stories/complete as many as I possibly can! Actually, that's just one resolution, I have like 20 other ones xD**

**Hikari: Hopeless...**

**Shaddup! So, um...Sasuke is coming up in this chapter (this chapter is going to be really long by the way) so, uh...you'll see him...and there will be lots of angst moments in this chapter. Oh angst, it makes everything so interesting~**

**Thank you. Almost two years later, Honorable Granddaughter has had a total of 117,035 views, is on the favs of 210 people, and on the alert list of 149 and also in 3 different communities. Though it hasn't received as many reviews as my other well received fanfic, Beginnings of Hope, which has reached the 100 chapter mark and has a little over 500 reviews, Honorable Granddaughter is halfway there, being at 416 reviews, and to add another really good note, this story has never received any negative feedback/comments from people. I'm so grateful to everyone that enjoys this story as much as I enjoy being able to write it, and your reviews and kind words saying how much you enjoy it makes me all the more happy. So I say thanks to all of you for sticking with me and this story. Thank you for believing in me :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Naruto or the characters in the series. They belong to Kishimoto. I do own Hikari, this story, and any other original characters that are in this story unless I state otherwise that they belong to another person.**

* * *

"_You're going to do what!?"_

_"I told you, Naruto and Sakura don't understand Sasuke isn't who he used to be..." Hikari sighed, grabbing some freshly sharpened kunai, "And Naruto thinks that talking to the Raikage will help the situation. The Raikage would not even give Naruto the time of day, let alone leave Sasuke alone if Naruto just asks him."_

_"But why do you have to go after them!?"_

_She stopped packing and stared at the floor for a minute. _"_I made a promise nearly 3 years ago."_

_**"But…one day, when I get stronger…I'll do my best to get you back into the light." **_

"_Sasuke isn't going to listen to reason...so I'll take him down myself." _

_Yuna watched the young woman with soft cobalt orbs. She could understand why Hikari felt __that this was something she had to take care of herself, but what she couldn't understand is __why she was trying to involve herself. She had thought that Hikari of all people would try to protect Sasuke. But here she was, packing to go off to fight Sasuke herself. _

"_But what about Kyo?"_

_Hikari smiled sadly, "I've kept telling myself that one day, Sasuke would come back...and we could be an actual family and raise Kyo together," she reached down into the small baby's crib and let her fingers run through the soft raven locks of hair, "But revenge is more important to Sasuke. Like it's been for all these years."_

_"Oh, Hikari..."_

_She smiled up at the blonde. "Please take care of my son while I'm gone. I'll be home soon."_

_Yuna only nodded as she watched the teen throw a backpack over her shoulder as she walked out of the house._

_**~Present Day~  
**_

"Damned snow is making this whole trip annoying..." Hikari mumbled, wrapping her coat around her even more, "How are you holding up, Yoru?"

He purred, continuing to trudge through the snow, _'I'm fine. This snow is nothing.'_

"Well, that's good." Hikari smiled, patting his head gently. They had been walking for about five hours, and had stopped three times to take small breaks and to warm up some before they continued to move forward. Yoru was warm enough because of his thick fur, his body heat warming the human that rode on his back through the journey.

She hadn't expected the Land of Iron to be so cold, let alone have so much snow!

_'So, are you going after Naruto to talk to the Raikage with him?' _

"No. The Raikage is too stubborn, and if I tried to speak with him about the matter of Sasuke, he'd ignore me."

_'Then what are you doing?' _

She closed her eyes, taking a breath. "I'm going to stop Sasuke myself."

He growled at her choice. _'Hikari, you of all people know what he's like now! Have you lost it?!'_

"No, I'm completely sane still. And you're right. I do know what Sasuke is like now. I know that the Sasuke that exists now isn't the old Sasuke that Naruto and Sakura are so desperately trying to bring back home so things can go back to the way that they once were, because I am fully aware that that's probably never going to happen. Sasuke is just...too consumed in his own darkness and hatred..."

_'Then why must you take on the responsibility of stopping him?' _

She sighed and looked forward, "I...I don't want to see anymore people die at Sasuke's hand. Sure...Danzo isn't exactly the best of people in the world, and he certainly doesn't have the best intentions as the Hokage. But killing Danzo...that will not settle things for Sasuke. It will only become the beginning of a web, that once it's started, there's no way out. It will make the situation even worse then. And Sasuke's life will be hanging in the balance."

He chuffed, '_Tch. I know you would love to see someone take Danzo down.'_

"I wouldn't mind it, but it's not the right thing to do. It won't solve anything should Sasuke kill him. It will ultimately make things worse, Yoru. That's why I am going to see to it that it doesn't happen."

_'...There's more to it then just that, Hikari.'_

"Sasuke...even though he probably doesn't realize it, he's hurting everyone that cares for him...our friends back home, Naruto and Sakura...he's putting us all through so much pain...because we care about him, and his well being. But he's too far in to even realize that he's the one that is the cause of our pain. Back then, when we were put on a team to go after him when he left...He laughed at it. Like our sacrifices we had made to get him back had been a joke!"

_'Hikari...'_

"There is so much pain, Yoru. This world is so hurt because of the evil that exists in it, and I am quite certain it could do without Sasuke's evil. That's why I'm going to make sure...that he's stopped!"

_'Alright, Hikari. Alright...'_

No more was said on the matter after that, and the rest of the journey was continued on in silence.

* * *

_**~Hours later~**_

"This intense chakra..." Hikari mumbled, frowning as they stopped outside of the area where the five Kage were currently inside of.

_'Sasuke is already inside, along with the other three.' _Yoru said, sniffing the ground again as he picked their scents up.

"That would explain why there are no guards here as well..." Hikari mumbled thoughtfully, having realized that where there should have been guards and tight security, there was none, "Alright. Yoru, we're going inside!"

_'What if the Samurai think we're the enemy too!?'_

"They won't if they don't see us. I imagine that they're all too busy trying to deal with Sasuke and the others right now, so if we're careful, we can get by and try to help out with the fight." Hikari said, urging Yoru to walk in. Reluctantly, the Bengal Tiger padded inside stealthily, alert. The further they walked, the louder the sounds of battle became. Hikari's eyes scanned around, her caramel orbs widening when she spotted a samurai laying on the ground, struggling to tend to his wounds. Without thinking, she rushed over and knelt down by his side.

"W-Who are you!?"

Hikari's voice was gentle and calm as she spoke, "Please, let me tend to your wounds."

"Who are you!?" He demanded again, his breathing ragged.

"My name is Hikari Sarutobi, I'm a Hidden Leaf ninja. I come in peace, and I wish to help you with your injuries. May I please remove your armor?"

Hikari could tell he was wary of her and her story, but he nodded slowly, allowing her to remove the armor around his torso. She mentally winced at the long gash that had been made across his abdomen, most likely from the Kusangi Sasuke wielded. Immediately, she began to send chakra into her hands and started to heal the samurai in front of her.

"S-Sarutobi..." the samurai repeated softly, having removed his helmet earlier, his blue eyes flickering towards Hikari, "Are you related to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. He was my grandfather."

"What are you doing all the way out here in the Land of Iron?"

She turned her focus back to healing his injuries, "I've come to stop Sasuke Uchiha from doing anymore harm."

He looked at her in disbelief, his eyes wide. "You must be nuts! Sasuke took us down like it was nothing!"

Her eyes became sad, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm sorry...on his behalf. My intention was to stop him from killing anyone...but I feel like I may have made it too late." She looked over to where there were some other samurai that were laying on the ground, Yoru having gone to the liberty to see if they were alive, shaking his head as he passed each one as to say no.

She grunted lightly as the ground shook, keeping her balance and continuing to heal the injured man before her.

"He's fighting the Raikage as we speak..."

She gasped and looked at him, "T-The Raikage!?" Yoru let out a loud roar as a large blade came flying through the air and embedded itself in a pillar next to them, Hikari's eyes widening. "The Executioner's Blade..." She mumbled, tensing up. She looked back at the samurai before her, smiling at her work of healing him. She pulled her hands away and pulled out some gauze from her pouch, going ahead and wrapping what she had just healed to be extra safe. "That should do it..."

"Thank you..." He smiled weakly, letting Hikari move him to a safe spot.

"Yoru, please stay here and watch over him until some others arrive." Hikari ordered, standing up slowly. "I'm going to go on ahead."

Not liking the idea of her going by herself, he still nodded and did as he was told, staying with the injured man while she dashed away.

The sound a maniacal laughter made her run faster.

"I'll kill 'em!"

_'Jugo!'_

She ran in to find Jugo, in his full blown curse mode form, being held against the wall while trying to hold back the Raikage. Her eyes were wide like saucers, widening more if possible when Suigetsu suddenly appeared over a blonde Cloud Nin. With agile movements and quick speed, she raced over, her katana drawn.

"Suigetsu! Don't!" She cried, holding her blade up to block the attack.

Suigetsu's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to stop the attack. "Hikari!?"

Instead, what remained of his sword clashed with another Cloud Ninja's own equally sized sword, allowing the blonde and Hikari to move out of the way.

"Nice blade you got there." Suigetsu commented, struggling to push him back.

"Can't have this just because yours broke."

Hikari's eyes flickered back to Jugo, gasping when she saw the Raikage's fist had impaled him. "Jugo!"

"One down." The Raikage muttered, looking over his shoulder to look at Sasuke.

"You! Who are you!?" Shee asked, glaring at Hikari as though she were the enemy.

"Please, I mean no harm! I'm trying to stop Sasuke!"

"I asked who you are!"

"Hikari Sarutobi of the Hidden Leaf!" She held her hands up as means of showing she was not here to harm anyone.

"Die!"

Both of their attention was drawn back to Jugo and the Raikage, Jugo seeming to be fine and ready to perform an all out attack now.

"Boss!"

"From point-blank range!" Shee yelled.

"Jugo! STOP!" Hikari screamed, reaching her arms up to cover her eyes as the bright light of Jugo's attack came their way, closing her eyes tightly and grunting as debris flew at them from the impact of it.

When it had stopped, she looked over and saw that the blonde ninja, Shee, looked different. She rushed over when he began to fall forwards, hearing his partner shouting his name.

"Shee?!"

"Look out!" Hikari screamed, watching Suigetsu come flying down towards the man, the man thankfully blocking him in time and starting to clash with him.

"Shee! Don't go to sleep! Get up!"

Jugo's maniacal laughter made Hikari shake, "I killed him! I killed the guy! Who's next?!" the Raikage appeared out of nowhere and slammed into Jugo, sending him flying. He watched as he flew and hit the wall before he turned around to find Sasuke glaring at him, electricity surrounding his blade.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, don't do it!" Hikari cried, but to no avail, her plead was not heard as Sasuke ran towards the Raikage.

"Chidori!"

"Elbow Bolt!"

Sharingan activated, Sasuke ducked the attack, slamming his hand into the Raikage's abdomen, waiting for the man to fall. But instead, the Raikage grabbed Sasuke's shoulders.

"A thrust attack using the Lightning Style to increase force and penetration," He looked at Sasuke, "The same jutsu used by Kakashi Hatake! I wear Lightning Style armor, yet you actually touched me. That is some jutsu."

Hikari watched with wide eyes as the Raikage suddenly lifted Sasuke up over his head, his chakra flaring wildly.

_'Holy-!'_

"Liger Bomb!"

Sasuke was slammed into the floor, the impact causing the floor to crack and send bits and pieces of it flying, electricity crackling in the gust that was created. Hikari grunted at the sheer force, closing her eyes tightly and shielding the unconscious Shee with her body, holding onto him tightly so he wouldn't be sent flying away.

_'Just from the force of the impact, there's no way that...S-Sasuke could have survived through it...' _Hikari thought, looking up and over at the scene once the dust had settled some. What she saw surprised her.

Sasuke was standing, encased in a purple matter of some sort that seemed to have a...ribcage?

Her attention was dragged away when the other cloud nin leaped down next to her and Shee.

"Shee, you okay?"

Shee managed to tilt his head to look up at him, "Darui...did you settle your fight?"

Darui frowned, nodding. "Maybe." He carefully helped his injured friend up, slinging his arm over his shoulder, both looking at the scene playing out before them, "No one's ever lived through that Liger Bomb, until now. Those bones and stuff...What is he anyway?"

"I fell for his genjutsu and lost," Shee explained, glancing down at his trembling hand, "I still don't have full control of my body. Geniuses like him appear once in a while."

"Sasuke is smart...that's why I'm afraid the outcome of this battle may not go so well..." Hikari murmured, watching intently.

"Who are you anyway?" Darui asked, looking over at her, wary.

"Hikari Sarutobi, granddaughter of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and a ninja of Konoha. Sasuke used to be on my team before he left."

"Don't tell us you came here to try and convince us to not kill him like that blonde fool did earlier?" Darui retorted, raising a brow.

Hikari's eyes softened, "You must be talking about Naruto. I knew that the Raikage wouldn't listen to him," she sighed, "No, I'm not here to convince you to let him live, though I think he should be allowed to, but...I'm here to stop him from doing more damage than he's done..."

Darui blinked while Shee stared at her in surprise. "So...you're here to bring him down?"

"I...suppose you could say that...I don't know if I could win against him...I'm more so here to try and reason with him." Hikari explained, sighing sadly as some Samurai came running in and surrounded Sasuke in the small crater that the Raikage's attack had made. Quietly, Hikari stepped forward as Sasuke looked around at the reinforcements. She took note he had activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, her hands balled into fists at her sides. _'What have you done to my Sasuke...?' _

"Come on, brat!" The Raikage yelled, ready to fight Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" Hikari shouted, standing on top of some debris, looking down at him. He glanced up at her, blood rolling down his right cheek. "Sasuke, you have to stop. Do you know what you're doing? You're fighting a leader of a nation. If you keep this up, you're going to end up being put to death. Is that what you really want, Sasuke!?"

Sasuke stared at her for a few seconds more before looking back at the Raikage, Hikari already knowing what he was about to do.

_'Amaterasu!'_

The Raikage instantly moved away as the black flames appeared, the attack hitting a samurai that was standing behind him. Hikari looked away, not wanting to watch the scene of the samurai struggling. The next thing she knew, the Raikage's left arm was on fire, and he was above Sasuke, prepared to kick him, when he was suddenly stopped from hitting the shield of flames by sand.

_'That's-!' _She instantly looked back, her eyes wide with surprise as Gaara stopped and stood a few feet back, his arms crossed over his chest. The Raikage moved over to Shee and Darui, and Sasuke weakly sat up, peeking out from over the rubble.

"Gaara of the Sand."

Temari opened her fan and sent razor sharp wind gusts at the Samurai that had received the first attack of the Amaterasu. "Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Hikari watched as it broke the armor apart, while Kankuro used his chakra strings to attach themselves to the armor, watching him pull it off of the Samurai. Gaara began to walk forward.

"You Samurai stay back. This is a problem for the ninja world. There is no need for samurai to become casualties."

"Th-Thank you, Lord Kazekage." One Samurai said, tending to the one that had been injured.

"Why did you interfere, Kazekage!? Whether I punish you or not depends on your answer!" The Raikage demanded.

"If you had continued and performed another attack, the Black Flames would have further injured you. Besides, I wish to speak to Sasuke Uchiha."

"Gaara..." Hikari mumbled, watching him with wide eyes.

"Your eyes are still as they were in the past." Gaara stated, looking Sasuke in the eye from where he stood with Temari and Kankuro. "Making revenge your sustenance resolves nothing. I learned the lesson personally. It's not too late for you. Do not cast yourself into a world where you are all alone, obsessed with hate. You won't be able to return."

"Gaara..." Hikari murmured from where she stood, somewhat in awe by the young Kazekage's words to Sasuke.

"And if I returned? What would I find there?"

Kankuro narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha and looked over at Gaara. "Forget it, Gaara. Naruto already failed at convincing him. He's just a criminal now, who has fallen to the level of the Akatsuki. He's not like _you._"

"Besides, neither the Raikage nor the others who have been victimized by the Akatsuki will remain silent. After attacking the Five Kage Summit, he's now wanted internationally," Temari interjected, glancing over at Sasuke. "This guy has no future."

Despite what his siblings had just said, Gaara acted as though he hadn't heard either of them.  
"Sasuke, you and I are alike. We've both walked through the darkness of this world. That's why you should be able to see the faintest glimmer of light. In the past and even now." Gaara's eyes narrowed at him as a smirk creeped up Sasuke's pale and bloody face.

"I closed my eyes long ago. My goals exist only in the darkness."

Hikari watched as sand from Gaara's gourd slowly began to pour out, her eyes flickering towards Sasuke. "Sasuke...listen to him..."

"_**I closed my eyes long ago. My goals exist only in the darkness."**_

The words echoed through her head as Sasuke began fighting with Gaara. What about her? Did she not matter to him at all? And what about Kyo? Did he mean nothing either...?

Had Sasuke forgotten that there was a light trying to lead him out of the black hole he had fallen in?

"Hikari! Please assist us!" Temari shouted over to her, causing her to look up and notice that Darui had joined up with the sand ninja.

"Right..." Hikari nodded, making several hand seals.

"Gale style: Laser Circus!"

"Secret Red Move: Puppet Triad!"

"Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Sand Shower Barrage!"

All five attacked at the same time, Hikari squeezing her eyes shut when the attacks hit and caused an explosion. When she reopened them she frowned, seeing the outline of a large figure through the smoke.

"It...It didn't work!"

"Gaara...this is even greater than your ultimate defense." Sasuke said, still standing behind the protective boned Susano'o. "A power that only those who have awakened the Mangekyo in both eyes can achieve. This is the third power...Susano'o!"

Hikari cowered back slightly when the glowing eyes of Susano'o fell upon her, a chill running down her spine. While the others that were amongst her talked about this thing, all she could do was stare up at it. The strong chakra it let off was not only incredibly powerful.

It was evil.

Sasuke's smirk widened, Shee suddenly calling out to everyone.

"Darui, everyone from the sand and Miss Sarutobi! Please step back!"

Gaara began to build a shield from the sand he controlled to protect himself and everyone. When Hikari did not budge, Darui reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her to him and putting her behind himself. As Susano'o sent a powerful gust of wind at them, Temari looked up as the pillars that held the structure up were beginning to crumble, bits and pieces of the ceiling falling. Hikari watched the Samurai that had been on the sidelines scramble about as they tried to get away, her eyes flickering up when the debris began to fall towards herself and the others.

Hikari grunted softly as she was hit in the back of the head before she blacked out and fell to the floor.

* * *

**A/N: So, this sucked. I'm sorry. I started writing this on Christmas eve, so...yeah...sorry guys. My brain literally can't think anymore. Your reviews are greatly appreciated. Arigato!~**


	75. The Will to Protect

**A/N: Well, everyone seemed to enjoy the last chapter despite the fact that I didn't think it was all that wonderful XD but oh well! So, we see some more action in this chapter, and yeah...I really don't know what to say...XD Also, I bought UNS3 this past week. I beat it in four days :3 I personally thought it was beautiful and the graphics were much more...hm...beautiful, than the second game! Especially the music, god the music! AND THE FREAKIN' FEELS! OHMYGAWD! Well, anyway... Read and enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC's and this story. **

* * *

"_Hikari."_

_Big brown eyes flickered up towards the man whose lap she was currently occupying, curiously staring up at him. "Yes daddy?"_

_Takashi let his hand rest on the top of his daughters head, his fingers gently running through the brown locks, "Do you know what your name means?"_

"_My name?" She tilted her head, not understanding. _

_He smiled softly and nodded, "Yes. Do you know what your name means?"_

_She smiled cutely. "It means...um...it means...uh..." Hikari pouted, not able to find the answer to her fathers question. "I don't know..."_

_He chuckled and ruffled her hair a bit, "It means 'light'."_

"_Light?" She tilted her head cutely. _

"_Hai. When you were born, your mother and I chose to name you Hikari because we believed that you would become the one to balance everything out. This world we live in holds too much darkness. We still believe that you will become the one that balances everything out. You are a strong child, even though you haven't found that strength yet. But remember this, Hikari: your friends and loved ones will always be your strength. And no matter how much sadness or pain you become bearer to, you must never forget that you have people that care for you and believe in you."_

"_...I don't get it..."_

_Takashi laughed loudly and hugged his daughter tightly, kissing her hair gently, "You'll understand when you're older. I promise."_

"_But I want to understand now!"_

"_Your father is right, little one," Kaori smiled softly, standing in the doorway of the living room, "Hikari. You will make many friends. And some of them may wander off of the right path and onto the wrong one. I believe that you will be able to help them back onto the right one should that happen. Will you promise me that you will be the light for those lost people?"_

_Even though she didn't understand, she smiled brightly and nodded. "I promise!"_

_**'-ari! Hikari!'**_

Her eyes flew open, coming face to face with Yoru, who licked her cheek happily once he saw she was awake. She felt a dull throbbing pain in the back of her head as she became more awake, wincing slightly.

"Ow..."

_'Thank goodness...'_

"What...happened?" She murmured, sitting up slowly and wincing again at the pain in her head.

_'The roof. It collapsed.'_

Ah, that was right. She had been with Gaara and the Raikage earlier, helping them deal with Sasuke. But before they could truly deal with him, Sasuke had caused the roof to collapse on them.

Speaking of Sasuke...

"Yoru...where are we?"

_'Near Samurai bridge. I brought you here as soon as I found you with Lord Kazekage and the others.' _

"But...why here?"

_'Because...Sasuke is nearby. And so is Danzo.'_

Her whole purpose for coming to the Land of Iron.

But what could she possibly do? It was evident from Sasuke's chakra that he was different from the last time she saw him.

His chakra was full of pure _hate._

If she were to go up against this Sasuke, there was the chance that she would die here today. She would never see her dear friends again, or her home. She would never see her precious little brother again. She wouldn't see her wonderful baby again...

She wouldn't see the world again.

_'But...if no one stops him, then what?' _Hikari thought to herself, picking at small blades of grass quietly. _'Sasuke...have you lost sight of what is truly important to you...?'_

She gazed up at the sky sadly as a hawk flying overhead screeched.

_'Have you forgotten what love is?'_

* * *

_**When you began to cry out in sorrow  
**_

_**And like a child wipe the tears in your eyes  
**_

_**That's when I swore I'd protect you even if I lose sight of tomorrow  
**_

_**As we gazed up into the sorrowful summer sky**_

**_You have always tried to be strong and never once have shed a tear_**

_**But deep in your heart you're filled with fear  
**_

_**In order to keep a hold of the things you've come to love  
**_

_**You've desperately pushed yourself to always run**_

_**When we come together I know we can**_

_**Overcome whatever comes along  
**_

_**So if we're together it's fine for you to  
**_

_**Stop trying to make yourself seem so strong**_

**_When you began to cry out in sorrow_**

_**And like a child wipe the tears in your eyes  
**_

_**That's when I knew by protecting you I'll find a much brighter tomorrow  
**_

_**And I promised to you I'd always stay by your side  
**_

_**As we gazed up into the sorrowful summer sky **_

* * *

For as long as she could remember, Hikari had always made the right choices for the most part. She wasn't a bad person, nor was she stupid, though she could have her moments. She'd had a decent childhood for the most part, despite her parents death, and she had been brought up well in most peoples eyes. She was wise for someone so young, but she had been the grandchild of Hirzuen Sarutobi, the former third Hokage. It was obvious where that wisdom had come from.

Had she made mistakes? Of course she had. She wasn't perfect, no one was. There were people that believed that they were the essence of perfect, but they were simply delusional. It was those types of people who were pulling the ninja world into a dark abyss; the ones that believed they were a god. Like Nagato. But in the end, Naruto had shown Nagato the truth. And Nagato's values had changed. The beliefs he had were then bestowed onto Naruto, the boy he believed would become the bridge to changing the world for the better.

If she could redo one thing...it would be falling in love with Sasuke. Perhaps she wouldn't feel...so empty and numb if she had never fallen in love with him. Sasuke was the exact opposite of her. Cold, cruel, arrogant. Falling further into the darkness.

Hikari was bright, kind, and thoughtful. She walked down the road of light. As of late though, she wondered if maybe she was trapped in some of Sasuke's darkness too? After all, here she was, trying to pull him back onto the right path and stop him from doing all of these terrible things.

He was a threat to the ninja world now. He was a national criminal after attacking the Kage Summit.

_'Hikari! We're closing in!'_

She nodded, gripping Yoru's fur tightly as she rode on his back, bouncing with each step as the tiger ran towards their destination.

Hikari loved Sasuke. Even if he wasn't the same Sasuke she had given her heart to, she still loved him.

_'That's why...' _She leapt off of Yoru's back as Sasuke's Susano'o came into her line of vision, landing gracefully on her feet.

Kyo was the closest thing to Sasuke's light that remained. Their son was that link to his abyss. And Hikari wanted their child to grow up in a world of peace. If Sasuke were to continue like this, that dream would be ruined if Sasuke achieved his goal. The world would be full of hate. There would be no more peace, and Kyo would have to grow up living with the fact that his father was the reason behind so much pain and unhappiness.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Is it true that Itachi Uchiha eliminated my clan by order of the elders?

Danzo stared down at the boy, his one visible eye narrowed as he was held up into the grip of the Susano'o's hand. He remained silent, watching Sasuke's eyes fill up with more anger.

"I'm asking if it's true!" He made Susano'o tighten it's grip on Danzo, causing the man to grunt in pain and cough up a bit of blood, "Answer me!"

"I...I didn't think he was that kind of man," Danzo wheezed out, "Damn Itachi. I see he revealed everything to you before he died. As I thought...It seems you are truly special."

Sasuke's patience was running thin. "Answer me!"

"I...I didn't think that Itachi was the kind of man who would reveal secrets."

Sasuke's chakra was fueled with hate. "Does that mean it's true?"

Hikari watched as the bones of the arm of Sasuke's Susano'o were covered in what she figured was the skin.

"Self sacrifice...That's what epitomizes a shinobi. Never seeing the light of day. Toiling in the shadows. It is as it was in the past. That is what a true shinobi is. It describes not only Itachi. Countless other ninja have died the same way. Niceties alone will not make the world go around. Peace was attained all because of people like him. People like you who misunderstood Itachi's intentions couldn't possibly understand. Still...for Itachi to reveal such a secret to you makes him a traitor to the Leaf..."

Hikari's eyes widened as Susano'o literally crushed Danzo, blood splattering everywhere. Sasuke stared at the fist coldly.

"Don't say anymore about Itachi!"

"You're right. Then let us proceed to a battle of the eyes." With that, Danzo thrust a Kunai in Sasuke's direction.

Hikari watched as the kunai's tip was broke in half from the protective shield around Sasuke, quickly moving away from the fight so she could think.

_'How come he didn't die?! He was just crushed and there was blood everywhere!' _Yoru growled, watching the Uchiha carefully from his spot next to Hikari.

Hikari didn't respond, watching Danzo reappear on the top of a pillar. "What is that old fool up to...?"

The two watched Sasuke try to catch the now fleeing Danzo, the bidge being damaged more and more with each attack. As they fought, she closed her eyes and began to think to herself while staying hidden.

_'He won't stop...until he's dead...I know that just letting the old bastard die isn't right...but what can I possibly do?'_

Yoru nudged her arm to get her attention.

Thoughts of the village, her friends, and Kyo ran through her mind. If Sasuke killed Danzo here, then the next goal would be to destroy the village and all the residents in it.

_'That's why...' _She slowly stood, pulling her katana from the sheath on her back, her grip on the hilt of it tight.

She looked in the direction where Sasuke was standing, finding it strange how he was prepared to pierce Danzo from behind with his sword but he was unmoving, the hate in his eyes obvious. Madara had been succesful in snuffing out every last ounce of light that had remained inside of Sasuke.

She gasped softly as Karin appeared near the two, watching in shock as Danzo simply kicked her back and off of the pillar. She wasn't surprised that Karin had tried to intervene with all the dedication she had for Sasuke, but it was a foolish move on her part. She sighed as Karin crashed into the ground below, wondering whether it was a wise move to go over and check on her.

_'Hikari!' _Yoru roared, the Sarutobi girls eyes flickering back up and widening when she saw Danzo had taken the Kusangi and was about to chop Sasuke's head off with it.

_**"To protect the things that matter most. That is my nindo: my ninja way!"**_

_'That's why...' _She dashed forward, heading for the pillar with incredible speed, Yoru's roars of protest and Karin's screeching of Sasuke's name echoing in her mind. Channeling her chakra to the bottoms of her feet, she ran up the side of the pillar as fast as she could, unaware that Madara was already teleporting himself to the same location. With a strong push, she leapt up, appearing in front of the two, lifting her katana up and slamming it downward, the sounds of the kusangi clashing with it echoing.

_'Protecting the things I love...matters more than anything else.'_

Danzo's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance, the moment short lived though when Sasuke's chakra spiked and the Susano'o appeared once more, the old man leaping away before he could be hit by it. Hikari was hit, sending her flying down into the ground below.

She winced as she managed to pull herself up to her knees, Sasuke's scream of what she defined as pure rage and agony echoing through the area. His entire Susano'o had fully formed, and Hikari watched him sadly while she crawled over to Karin.

"H-His chakra...is totally different..." the redhead murmured softly, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"He's not the Sasuke we know anymore...that's why. This Sasuke...is full of complete hate and darkness."

Karin went back to watching the fight while Hikari healed her own wounds she had obtained. Karin's sudden shout startled her.

"Sasuke! That's the real Danzo! The jutsu that makes him invincible is broken right now! He's vulnerable!"

Hikari sighed and closed her eyes, feeling a migraine coming on. This was all just so foolish.

Not to mention annoying too.

She could feel Sasuke weakening. If this went on much longer, Sasuke would collapse.

And Danzo would probably take that chance to kill him.

Lovely.

* * *

Yuna groaned as Kyo cried, having just laid down on the couch after finally getting him to sleep. She walked over to the crib and picked him up, rocking him soothingly. "Shh...don't cry little one. It's okay..."

Kyo only cried louder, snuggling close the to womans chest while she sat down on the couch, continuing to rock him while singing softly. Eventually, he started to calm down as she ran her fingers through his little tufts of hair, her touch soothing.

"There there..." She smiled, looking out the window and sighing. She wondered how Hikari was doing. Hopefully she wasn't dead...

Yuna's eyes clouded over suddenly, a vision running through her mind. She saw smoke, some blood, and she heard a familiar scream, seeing a katana as well, before the vision ended leaving her breathing heavily.

"Oh god..."

She instinctively held Kyo closer to her.

* * *

Karin moaned loudly as Sasuke bit into her arm so he could be healed, Hikari watching the scene with narrowed eyes. She silently walked over, stopping and looking at Danzo for a moment before turning back to look at Sasuke.

"You're a fool, Sasuke. A stupid, stupid fool..." She murmured, staring down at him before looking back at Danzo, a large tree sprouting from his left shoulder while he shouted in pain. She watched him literally rip what was his left arm off and throw it. "What the...?"

"What a persistent guy!" Karin muttered, the three teens staring at Danzo.

"Not yet..." He began to undo the bandages that concealed his left eyes, letting them fall to reveal the sharingan. "This is where we battle with our eyes."

Sasuke darted forward, ready to hit him with Chidori, only to have his target dodge it and run past him, heading in the direction of Karin and Hikari. Danzo grabbed Karin and put her in a choke hold, kicking Hikari away when she tried to stop him.

"You used your visual prowess too much, didn't you?"

"Sasuke..." Karin struggled out, her face twisted in pain as Danzo tightened his hold on her neck.

"Isn't it ironic that you, who glorified self-sacrifice, would take a hostage?" Sasuke mused, glaring at Danzo.

"It's not that I consider my life precious. But for the sake of the Hidden Leaf village...for the ninja world...I cannot afford to die here. No matter what the means, I must survive. For I will be the one reformer who will change this ninja world. This woman will be sacrificed for that cause." Danzo explained, tightening his hold on Karin even more.

"Sasuke, help!"

"Don't move...Karin." Sasuke ordered calmly.

Karin smiled weakly and Danzo narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, who only had uncaring onyx orbs as he used the chidori and turned it into a long spear, sending it in their direction and expecting it to hit without fail. What he hadn't expected was a blur of brown and purple leaping out in front of the attack.

Hikari stepped out and let the spear go through her instead.

Yoru's roars could be heard in the background as the whole scene played through.

Karin whimpered a little as the spear went straight through her and hit Danzo behind her, blood trickling down the side of her mouth. Sasuke's emotionless face turned into a smirk.

"Brother...One down."

"...to you?" Karin mumbled weakly.

"Karin...since you managed to get taken hostage, you're nothing but a burden to me." Sasuke explained, slowly retracting the chidori spear and watching Karin fall out of Danzo's now weakened grip. It was only when Hikari's head lifted up weakly and her eyes met his did his smirk fall from his face.

_'Sarutobi...your granddaughter...' _Danzo thought as he slowly began to hobble away, figuring he would be able to get away from Sasuke, expecting the boy to go to the woman that had given him a child.

Instead, Sasuke went straight after Danzo to finish the job.

Hikari smiled sadly, her legs struggling to keep her up as she tended to the wound she had technically inflicted upon herself by thinking she could shield Karin and Danzo, two people she really didn't like.

But just sitting by and watching Sasuke kill them wasn't right.

Danzo was stopped by Madara, now sandwhiched in between him and Sasuke with no escape route.

"_**Are you alright, Danzo!?"**_

_Danzo growled and pushed the arm that was curently holding him up off, sending a glare at the man next to him, "Why'd you interfere, Hiruzen?!"_

_The brunette smiled despite the rude behavior. "Don't say that. We don't want to lose comrades in a situation like this."_

That will...

"_There are too many of them. What'll we do, Hiruzen?" Kagami, one of their remaining comrades asked, looking back at Hirzune Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura._

"_Yeah, you're right. We should meet up with the Second Hokage." Hiruzen suggested, moving up ahead to lead the others. Danzo scoffed as he watched, glaring at his back as he stayed at the back of the group._

That will to protect...

"_We're surrounded." Tobirama, the Second Hokage, explained. "There are...twenty of them. Judging from their tracking skills, I'd say they're from the Hidden Cloud. The highly skilled Kinkaku unit."_

_"There are seven of us including you, Lord Hokage. We're completely outnumbered."_

_Koharu narrowed her eyes at her friend, "Homura! Don't be such a coward!" She looked back at Tobirama, "The enemy hasn't pinpointed our position yet. We should lie in wait until we can find an opportunity to break through."_

"_It's no use, Koharu. One of us will have to divert their attention."_

_"A decoy? It means certain death...so who?"_

"_I will go."  
_

That will to protect the things more important no matter what...

"_No. I will go and be the decoy, of course. You are the young Wills of Fire that will be defending our village in the future." Tobirama decided, looking at the remaining people on the team with him._

_Naturally, there was protest. From Danzo._

"_Danzo, you are always competing with Saru over one thing or another, but what's necessary here is for you to unite and together as comrades. Do not make this a personal fact is, you took too long to reach a decision. You must first look at yourself rationally and know yourself. Otherwise, at this rate, you will place your comrades in danger. In any case, Danzo and Saru...You two are still young, so don't be hasty. Your time will come. Until that time, stay alive." He slowly stood up, his eyes falling on Hiruzen, "Saru...**Protect those who love the village and those who believe in you. And nurture those to whom you can entrust the next generation.**"_

_Hiruzen could only stare up at his mentor and nod._

"_Starting tomorrow, you are the Hokage!"_

_Hiruzen stared up at him in disbelief while Danzo stared at Hirzuen in shock. _

"_Saru...take care of the Hidden Leaf!"_

"_Yes, sir!"_

_**That will of fire...had been passed down and inherited.**_

Weakly, Danzo made himself stand up straighter. "For the sake of the ninja world...for the sake of the Hidden Leaf...I will not let you both live!"

He pulled what was left of his shirt off, revealing a reverse tetragram seal. Madara and Sasuke both hurried away before they could get caught in it.

_'Hiruzen, it's my turn next.'_

"_**Where the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fires shadow will illuminate the village. And once again tree leaves shall bud anew."**_

_'Just as you gave your life to protect the Hidden Leaf. This time, I will. I cannot allow these men...But in the end, I could not become the Hokage. No matter how far I ran...I could never catch up to you. But Hiruzen...your grandchild...she has inherited your will of fire...that child...is just as you were when we were young.'_

As Danzo slowly began to lose his last moments of life, images from his past of him and Hiruzen running throughout the village as young children ran through his mind.

_'You were a tree leaf upon which light shone. I was nothing but a foundation hidden in darkness. What do you think of someone like me?'_

The two children sat on top of the mountain, talking to each other animatedly. Though they were rivals, they were friends.

_'Hiruzen...what was I to you?'_

An image of them smiling as they talked was the last thing he saw. Danzo Shimura died.

* * *

**A/N: Everyone hates Danzo, but I always thought that the part where he recalls his chilhood with Hiruzen was very precious, and actually sheds a little light on the dark person we originally find him to be. Okay, this was poorly written, I know, but...well, it should make sense. I left out a lot of stuff from the battle, like the Izanagi, because although I wanted this chapter to be long, I didn't want to make overly long. The next chapter will be up soon. Also, I'm sorry Hikari wasn't...exactly around much. It's hard for me to write at all anymore ^^ but do review! Later taters~!**


	76. A love that only brings pain

**A/N: Thanks for those that reviewed last chapter~ It was so sucky, I thought no one would review at all! Anywho, this chapter and what to expect: Because I believe following the flow of the manga/anime makes the story more...realistic if you will (it's not the word I'm looking for but just go with it) it will follow this part of the manga/anime, meaning we will see Sakura being stupid in this, and we will also see Naruto and Kakashi sensei! As for Hikari, don't worry, we will hear PLENTY from her in this chapter. This chapter is meant to sort of be a breaking point for her, meaning there will be plenty of feels coming from her in this chappie.**

**I'd like to give a special thanks to Kago of the Funk. For as long as I can remember, you have been reviewing this story since the beginning I believe, and for that I am grateful for your many reviews that manage to get me back on track to believing that my story isn't complete crap like I think it is, and your reviews also crack me up xD I always get a good laugh from them~ So thank you so much for being such a loyal reader, reviewer, and also a wonderful friend. I really, sincerely appreciate it :)**

**Enjoy the chapter everyone~  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't know how many more times I need to say it. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR THE CHARACTERS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. I do own this story, and Hikari and any other oc's unless specified I don't.**

* * *

All there was was silence. No sound. Nothing. Just absolute silence as Hikari laid on the cold ground, her hand covered in blood as she weakly continued to try and heal her wound that she had received in the whole ordeal. In the end, Danzo had died trying to finish Sasuke and Madara off once and for all, but he had failed in ridding of either of them.

"That was a close call," Madara stated, staring up at the sky as a hawk flew overhead and screeched. "That was the Collateral Damage Sealing Jutsu. He would've dragged you into his corpse and sealed you inside. He probably set it up to activate at the moment of his death," Madara explained as they stared down at Danzo's lifeless body.

Sasuke stared up at the sky as the hawk screeched again, watching it fly away.

"That was close..." Madara repeated, glancing at Sasuke.

"We'll head for the Hidden Leaf Village next."

"The Hidden Leaf, huh?" Madara asked, leaping down to go and retrieve Danzo's body while Sasuke blankly stared at him as Madara told him to go back to the hideout and rest while he retrieved Danzo's eye. He tried tuning the older man out as he began to lecture him about his overuse of his eyes and his lack of patience. His attention came back as Danzo mentioned Karin.

"If you no longer need her, make sure you finish her off. She knows too much about us."

"'_Us_'? When did I join you?" Sasuke frowned, narrowing his eyes at the masked man.

He only chuckled and shook his head, "Well, nevermind. We'll meet again." And with that said, he disappeared.

During this, Hikari had managed to weakly crawl over in Karin's direction, wincing with each bit of movement. Even though Karin got on her nerves and she didn't like her at all, she didn't want to just sit by and let her die.

"Nnh...this is what I get for being too nice..." She grumbled under her breath, stopping to take a breather. She was almost there, just a few more feet. How she hoped Karin wasn't dead yet.

She mentally rejoiced when she saw Karin move slightly, starting to crawl towards her again as fast as she could move.

Just a few more feet...

Karin's breathing was ragged as she laid on the ground, her mind wandering back to when she had first met Sasuke. It had been during the Chunin exams, and she had been seperated from her own team. She got lost and ended up encountering a large bear that nearly killed her. Sasuke had stopped the bear by taking it down before it could eat her. He had saved her life.

And now he was going to take that life away.

"Later."

Hikari's eyes widened as Sasuke had appeared in front of her with his back to her, watching as he raised his hand up a bit and gathered the chakra in his hand to form the Chidori. The sounds of the crackling electricity echoed through her mind as she could remember when he had first used it back then during the final Chunin exam. She thought it was one of the coolest techniques she had ever seen.

Now she was afraid of it.

Weakly, Hikari managed to push herself up to her feet, holding her side, "S...Sas-"

"Sasuke!"

Brown orbs widened significantly as the shout echoed through the gorge, her heart rate speeding up as anxiety washed over her. Slowly turning her head to look over in the direction the shout had come from, she fell back to her knees as she saw her comrade and dear friend.

"S-Sakura..."

"It's you, Sakura." Sasuke said, frowning in annoyance at the sudden interuption. He dismissed his intended attack and dropped his hand back down to his side, "What are you doing here?"

Sakura's green eyes landed on the redheaded girl who Sasuke looked like he was about to kill moments before, her eyes moving over to Hikari's hunched over form, brown eyes meeting green. She looked away and back up at Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" She paused and closed her eyes, as though she were trying to find the right words, "I'm coming with you. I'm deserting the Hidden Leaf!"

Hikari coughed harshly, looking in Sakura's direction with an angry glare. "Sakura, you fool...you stupid, stupid fool..."

Sasuke looked at Sakura with cold onyx orbs, "What's in it for me if you come along?" He narrowed his eyes, "What are you plotting?"

"I'm not plotting anything!" She protested, "Ever since you left the Hidden Leaf Village, I've regretted not going with you!"

During this exchange, Karin watched weakly from her spot on the ground. Hikari, who had seen this as an opportunity, had managed to kneel down beside her. Channeling her chakra to her hands, she began to try to heal her with what remaining energy she had.

_'Is she an old teammate? And she's also in love with Sasuke? But...' _Her thoughts were cut short as she let out a weak cough, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth.

"I'll do whatever you want. I don't want to have anymore regrets." Sakura ignored the harsh glare that Hikari sent her and stared ahead at Sasuke, struggling not to flinch at the skeptical look he gave her.

"And do you know what I want?"

"I don't care! I'll do whatever you ask-"

"I'm going to destroy the Hidden Leaf!" The determination that had been in Sakura's eyes before faltered, her shock clear by the slight gasp she gave upon hearing Sasuke's words, "That's what I want! Will you really be able to betray the village for me?"

_'She's got to be bluffing...she can't really mean to agree to help Sasuke...'_ Hikari frowned, continuing to tend to Karin.

"...Yes. If you asked me to." she said, calmly. The truth behind her answer was visible in her eyes though, and Sasuke could see it.

"Then prove it." He pointed down at Karin, "Finish her off. Then I'll believe you."

"Sasuke, no!" Hikari protested, glaring up at him. Sakura, shocked at his request, met Karin's gaze, the look on the redheads face pitiful. Despite that, she slowly withdrew a kunai from the pouch she had on her leg. The tip slipped out from underneath the cloak she was wearing, her gloved hand gripping it tightly.

"Who is she?" She asked softly.

"A member of the group, Taka, which I founded. As you can see, she's useless. You're a medical ninja, right?" She gave a slight nod, "You can replace her then. This will work out just fine."

Hikari noticed Sakura narrow her eyes at Sasuke lightly, praying to whoever was above that Sakura could see that the Sasuke they had been on the same team with all those years ago was not the same person. She hoped that Sakura could finally see what she had discovered long before.

"Hikari, step away from Karin." Sasuke ordered, earning a glare from the young woman.

"No."

"...I said step away from Karin. _Now_."

"And I said _no_." She growled, glaring at Sakura when she stopped in front of her and Karin. Sasuke ignored her and glanced at Sakura, noticing her hand that held the kunai was shaking slightly.

"Well, Sakura? You can't do it?"

"Sakura, don't be a fool...Sasuke isn't worth it now. He's not the Sasuke we used to know!" Hikari yelled, trying to see if Sakura would understand that. Sasuke kicked her back and away from Karin, still waiting to see what Sakura would do. "Sakura, don't do it!"

Sakura, too absorbed in her thoughts, didn't notice Sasuke move behind her.

"Stop, Sasuke." Karin murmured weakly as she noticed what was happening, mentally hoping that the pinkette in front of her would be able to understand what was going on and get away before it was too late. Sakura stiffened when the sounds of birds chirping and electricity crackling reached her ears. Hikari's screams and shouts echoed in her head as time seemed to slow down as she turned around to face Sasuke.

"No, Sasuke! _**STOP**_!"

His wrist was grabbed and pushed down, someone appearing in front of Sakura just before the attack could touch her. Sasuke, clearly surprised by this, growled and glared up at the intruder.

Kakashi Hatake narrowed his one visible eye at the boy who had once been his student, disappointment in his gaze.

"How you've fallen, Sasuke." He easily jumped out of the way as Sasuke maneuvered his leg to kick him, kicking Sasuke in the back as he did so and landed in front of the three girls. He threw a kunai at the boy, watching as the wire that was attached around it wrapped around Sasuke. Of course, the raven haired teen had used a substitution, a log falling to the ground instead, Sasuke landing behind it and sending his old teacher a smirk.

"One after another."

"Sakura, you tried to kill Sasuke by yourself, didn't you?" Kakashi asked, though it was more of statement since it was really what Sakura had come here intending to do, and the look on her face said it all, "You don't have to shoulder such a heavy burden by yourself. I was the leader of Team 7. It was my cowardice that split all of you up." He stood up, his eyes never leaving Sasuke. "Sakura...I said something irresponsible to you in an effort to put you at ease."

"_**Don't worry. It will be like it was before!"**_

"I must've been trying to convince myself of that too. I'm sorry that I am such a careless sensei."

"But you're..."

"Hikari. I don't know why you came here, honestly. Whether it was because the same reason as Sakura, or to help Sasuke, I don't know. But you knew. You knew what he was like. You'd spent more time around him in the last few months than we'd spent near him in the last two and a half years. You knew what he'd become," He glanced over at her momentarily, long enough to see that sad smile on her face. "I don't blame you if you came here today to try to stop him yourself. But you don't need to do it alone."

She tuned everything out, staying where she was. There had been multiple reasons why she'd come here today. In the beginning, she had intended to stop Sasuke herself, even if she would end up having to kill him. Then her plan changed when Danzo nearly killed Sasuke, and she instead saved him from the death-blow that he almost received. Then she ended up saving Danzo, because even though she hated Danzo, she didn't want to have to sit around and see him die when she was capable of helping him. In the end, Danzo did die though.

But through all that, there was only one reason she wanted to stop Sasuke.

_Kyo._

She looked up when Sasuke started to laugh loudly, her insides churning uncomfortably as she recalled the first time she'd heard Sasuke laugh. Back when they had tried to bring him home after he left the village. It was terrifying back then, and it still was.

He finally stopped, sending them an apathetic look.

"Itachi... My father... My mother... My entire clan! Bring them all here! Do that and I'll quit right now!"

"I can't bring back what has been lost, Sasuke. But you've already gained something, something very precious. Your goal was to not only avenge your clan, but revive it. And you've already taken that first step, Sasuke. You have a child. The first step to reviving your clan is that baby." Kakashi noticed something in Sasuke's cold stare falter, but the teen didn't make the move to stand down. "I don't want to kill you."

"You talk like you could kill me at any time! Stop acting like you're still my sensei. I'm itching to kill you... Kakashi." He smirked, a deranged look on his face.

"Kakashi Sensei...you've seen what I've known about for a while now. Sasuke...he walks down a road of darkness now. What little light that had remained inside of him has been fully snuffed out by Madara...he completely twisted him. And this is the result of that," Hikari nodded at Sasuke, "Our Sasuke is gone. And this is what he is now."

Hikari had read his exact thoughts. He glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eye. "Sakura...heal this girl to the point that she can speak. We still have time right now. She knows a lot of intel about the enemy."

"What about you, sensei?"

"Take that girl and get away from here." He turned and smiled at her, "I will take on what would have been your burden. I guess you could say it's my responsibility. All right?"

Hikari stood up slowly, having managed to treat her own wounds from earlier. Still weak though, she moved forward and stood next to Kakashi. She saw he was about to tell her to go with Sakura, but she spoke up before he could.

"Sasuke is the father of my child. He's my lover, my friend...my comrade. It's not just your burden, sensei. As the mother of his child, it's my responsibility too."

"You're in no condition to even fight now, Hikari. Hurry and get away from here with Sakura and that girl." He threw his cloak off, "As the leader of Team 7, I will settle this once and for all. Now go!" He ordered. She faltered as she took a step back, her gaze meeting Sasuke's for a second. With a sad smile, she turned and followed after Sakura and Karin, leaving Kakashi to deal with the boy she had fallen in love with...

"...You will go the same way as the Third Hokage."

_Her biggest regret._

* * *

As they listened to the battle, Sakura began healing Karin while Hikari had found a spot against a pillar. She was leaning back against it, her eyes closed. Yoru had laid his head in her lap, and to Sakura, it looked like she was asleep.

She was actually praying.

Had her eyes been open, she would've seen the tears falling from Sakura's eyes. She didn't need to look to know, and it was hard for her to not start bawling too. She regretted coming here. If she'd stayed put in the village, it would've saved her a lot of emotional pain and physical pain. Sakura had been surprised to see her here though. Being a single mother with a young baby, she'd thought Hikari would be more preoccupied with taking care of Kyo than she would be with trying to stop Sasuke.

"Why...why is he like this?"

She didn't get a response for several minutes, and when she began to give up on ever getting one, Hikari spoke.

"He thinks that Itachi's death and path of living was caused by the entire village. Itachi loved Sasuke very much. And when Sasuke learned his brothers truth, something inside of him sort of just...snapped, I guess. He started to blame the village for it. Itachi loved the village, even after he left and became a member of the Akatsuki. Sasuke doesn't understand why, and won't listen to reason. He thinks that if he destroys Konoha, that he'll be avenging his clan and his older brother. In reality, he's just digging himself his own grave, really. To him, we're all laughing at his misfortune. That's what he sees it as. He doesn't see us as wanting to help him at all..." She winced faintly as she felt the surge of power coming from the fight, knowing that is was from Sasuke's Susano'o.

"_**I will change those laughs to screams and wails!"**_

Hikari opened her eyes and watched Sakura jump on the top of the bridge to look down at the battle below on the water. She then leaped to the other side, and Hikari frowned while Karin asked a very important question.

"What is she going to do?"

"Sakura!" Hikari shouted, running after the pinkette as the girl ran down the side of the bridge to go to the bottom of it. She knew what she was planning to do, and she knew that Sakura would die if she attempted to kill Sasuke.

From his spot on the water, Kakashi saw Sakura.

_'Sakura! Why are you here...?'_ His eyes widened when he saw Hikari chasing after her, realizing what Sakura was planning to do. "Don't!"

As she moved to land her attack, memories of when Team 7 had just been all four of them went through her head, up until the night Sasuke had left her behind in the village and she had confessed her love to him with the little bravery she had, in hopes he would stay behind with her and stay by her side. She found her hand shaking as she held her kunai inches away from his back, and she silently began to sob, realizing she couldn't do it.

"SAKURA, GET AWAY!" Hikari cried running towards her as Sasuke grabbed her by the neck and took the kunai from her hand. Without thinking, she kicked Sasuke's arm, making him release Sakura. She pushed the pinkette as far away as she could, and Sasuke grabbed her instead, moving to cut her throat.

"Stop, Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted, trying to hurry over and help the brunette teen before the boy she had called her lover could kill her.

_'Better it be me that dies at your hand than anyone else...' _Hikari smiled weakly, waiting for the hit that was coming. But it never came. Someone else took the hit instead.

And they had even been kind enough to grab her along the way. How nice!

When she saw the blonde hair and blue eyes, and felt the warm hands that held her close and tightly, she began to silently cry.

"Naruto..."

Onyx met sapphire in determined and cold glares, and Naruto only held Hikari closer to him while Kakashi ran at Sasuke so they could continue their fight once more. In his arms, Naruto could feel Hikari shaking, but not once did he look away from watching Sasuke and Kakashi battle. He tightened his hold on her when he felt her bury her face in his shoulder, watching as Kakashi landed in front of him. The silver-haired man stood up from his crouched position, his eyes never leaving Sasuke.

"Your timing is better than mine, Naruto. I never imagined you coming here. You're a lifesaver!"

Naruto nodded and gently pulled Hikari away from his shoulder, setting her down next to him. She looked up at him, her eyes dull and full of tears, causing him to soften his gaze. He kept an arm around her shoulders as he looked over at Sasuke with a frown.

"M'sorry..." Hikari murmured quietly, tears flowing down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry..."

No one knew who she was apologizing to, and no one asked. Kakashi noticed Sasuke's eyes were no longer full of the malice that had been there earlier. He couldn't identify what it was, but he was positive he saw regret in those cold eyes. It was gone the moment Sasuke stood up straight yet again.

_'He r-really tried to kill me...' _Hikari bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling.

Her Sasuke really was gone.

She felt Naruto's warm hand leave her shoulder as the blonde stood up and faced Sasuke, "Sasuke..." the anger in his voice was evident, "Hikari is a fellow ninja from Team 7."

"'_Was" _a fellow ninja. I no longer belong." Sasuke corrected, smirking.

"Now do you understand, Naruto, Sakura? His intent to kill is real." Kakashi explained, hoping the two now understood what he and Hikari had been trying to get them to understand for so long, "Sasuke is no longer the same person as before."

Hikari didn't need to look up when she felt hands on her shoulders to know that it was Sakura. She was silent, her hair hiding her face as she stayed where she was, not even watching Naruto walk around Kakashi so he could face Sasuke directly.

"Sasuke..."

"What?"

"I heard the truth about Itachi from a guy named Tobi." Sakura backed away slightly as Hikari's head shot up, her eyes wide, "I don't know for sure if what he said is really true or not. But it doesn't matter. What you've been doing is...understandable."

Kakashi and Sakura both seemed surprised that Naruto thought that Sasuke's actions were okay, sending him looks that were both shocked and confused.

Sasuke clenched his fists at his sides. "Naruto... I told you before. You don't have parents or siblings, so you couldn't possibly understand me. So outsiders can keep their mouths shut!"

"Do you know what Naruto has gone through for you!?" Sakura asked, glaring at her former teammate, "No matter what rumors we hear about you, he never stops thinking of you as a friend. While everyone targeted you, Naruto alone tried to rescue you! Even now..."

"Rescue me? From what?" He scoffed.

Sakura's determination was suddenly gone, "W-Well, from..."

"From revenge." Naruto explained, Sasuke's head jerking up slightly, "I know that I'm not the only one who has been trying to either. I swear that I'll save you from the chaos of vengeance."

Sasuke smirked again, "There's no need for that. The stage has already been set for my vengeance to happen!" his smirk widened more when he noticed how they all were taken aback by his words, "Just awhile ago, I finally got to take revenge on one of Itachi's enemies. I killed a high-ranking elder of the Hidden Leaf. Someone named Danzo."

Everyone except Hikari was shocked at this, speechless. She watched Sasuke smirk even more, his arms held out. "..."

"I've never felt like this before. I feel the tainted Uchiha name becoming cleansed. I feel the Uchiha becoming free from this rotting ninja world. You guys couldn't begin to understand. And isn't what I'm doing exactly what you Leaf ninja wanted all along? You've always snubbed and put down the Uchiha. So I'll help erase the Uchiha from your memories. I'm going to kill all of you, and destroy the Hidden Leaf!"

"Erase...the Uchiha name?" Sakura gasped as Hikari moved forward, past Naruto and Kakashi to stand in front of all three of them.

"Severing all bonds to the Hidden Leaf is the ultimate purification! And that shall lead to the Uchiha's true restoration."

"How can you erase something that you've already started to rebuild, Sasuke? Wasn't _that_ what you wanted in the beginning? To revive your clan? That was your plan, was it not?" Hikari asked, her caramel orbs meeting his onyx ones, "You've already started that first step, Sasuke. You have a child, and what you want is to create a world that you can't even _begin_ to understand. Your world that you have envisioned is stupid. You won't make it, because you'll die before you can try to kill anyone or destroy anything. Itachi didn't want this for you, and you know it!"

"What could you possibly know, Hikari? You're on that side, and you've already chosen to continue living on that side. You'll just die like the rest of them." Sasuke smirked, and Hikari had to wonder if he was aware of what he was saying.

"So, Kyo will be one of your victims too?" He was silent, "You'll go so far as to kill me, so does that mean you'll kill our son as well? He's living with me on that side too. How can you live with the idea of believing that killing innocent children is okay?! It's not. Victimizing people is not okay. The world that you believe you can create will not be what you have envisioned it to be, Sasuke. Your world will be just like you are right now. Full. Of. Hate." She heard the sound of several Shadow clones being summoned, and knew that Naruto was ready to go ahead and stop Sasuke, "I don't know what you want me to do, Sasuke! I don't know what you want from me, but I know that you aren't the same person that I used to know. Madara has _ruined _you!"

_'She knows that her words won't reach him...' _Kakashi thought, watching his student continue to talk to Sasuke, _'She's known that for a long time now. She continues to try because of that child. Kyo. She fights so hard because she wants to have something that she knows is impossible to have.' _He held his arm out to stop Naruto and his clones to keep from running forward, shaking his head.

"This is my task. Naruto, Sakura, Hikari. Get out of here."

"But Kakashi Sensei..." Sakura began, Kakashi cutting her off.

"If you stay, you'll see things you do not want to see. Now go."

Hikari listened to him talk to Sakura, continuing to stare at Sasuke. "I'm taking him down myself."

Everyone looked at her, Kakashi frowning. "This is my job, Hikari. You-"

"Sasuke is the father of my child. And I love him very much, despite what he's become," She smiled sadly, "That's why I would appreciate it if you'd let me handle this myself, Sensei." He frowned as she looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, Sasuke making a jab of electricity in his hand. "It's better this way..."

Translation: _'It's better that I be the one to die at his hand than one of you.'_

Kakashi pulled her behind him and copied Sasuke's actions, making a powerful jab of electricity in his own hand. "I will not allow you to die, Hikari."

Naruto frowned and stared at his sensei's back. "Kakashi Sensei, this "something" I don't want to see... Are you going to kill Sasuke?"

He didn't get the answer he wanted. "Go! All of you!"

Hikari watched as Naruto grabbed Kakashi from behind to prevent him from going ahead, a clone running past them with the Rasengan prepared. Her mind drifted back to that day three years ago, when Naruto and Sasuke battled.

"Now's my chance! I'm not holding back!"

"Wait, Naruto!" Kakashi struggled to break free.

It looked as if...it were happening in slow motion, and Sakura's cry of Naruto's name echoed in Hikari's head as she stood and watched the familiar scene that she had witnessed the last time this had happened. She trembled, and her shoulders hunched over a bit as she watched her precious friends, her vision becoming blurry as tears began to fill her eyes.

Naruto's face held no emotion as he got closer to Sasuke. _'There's a chance, Sasuke...that our roles...might have been reversed.'_

And like three years ago, in the Final Valley, their attacks clashed.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

_'Sasuke...you...'_

"_**Naruto!"**_

"Sasuke!"

_'You really...'_

"_**Sasuke! H-Hikari, what-"**_

"_**Listen to me, Sakura; It's going to be alright. I'm gonna fix him up."**_

Sakura's eyes glanced at Hikari, gasping quietly when she saw the tears falling down the teens cheeks.

"Hikari..."

_**"**____**You see, Hikari…People will put their own lives on the line to ensure the safety of their village and people. Like when the Nine-tailed fox attacked the village. Many of my friends died trying to protect the village and the people. Because, they wanted to keep their home and friends safe. The Fourth Hokage…He displayed amazing courage by giving his life up for all of us. When you want to protect something or someone important and precious to you, you find a way to keep it safe, even if it means self sacrifice."**_

_**"**____**So, how do you know when to give your life for something?"**_

_'Mother...'_

_**"These people are my friends. They are my precious people, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. They matter the most to me. They're the ones I hold most dear me. You really don't get it, do you? You think that just because I'm protecting them, that I'm a weakling. I'm doing it, because I **__**want **__**to. **__**To protect the things that matter most: That is my nindo. My ninja way!**__**"**_

_'No matter how hard I try...'_

_**"You…an idiot like you has no business acting high and mighty!"**_

_**"Hah! What happened to the calm, controlled Sasuke? Am I making you nervous? It looks like you picked a fight with me and now you're too scared to go through with it, is that it?"**_

_**"Let's just do this!"**_

_**"Put on your headband and we will. I'll wait."**_

_**"Not to worry. I don't need that thing."**_

She had seen it long before Sasuke left them. The darkness and hatred inside of his heart. His cold behavior towards all of them had only been part of it.

_'No matter what I do...'_

_**"Stupid..."**_

_**"Huh?"**_

_**"What you did was really stupid! What if Kakashi hadn't of shown up? I would've killed you!"**_

He had been right. She would've died that time had Kakashi not arrived when he did.

_'I...I can't help you...'_

_**"Do you really want to throw everything away and leave it behind? Do you want to throw away your home, your people, and your friends away?"**_

_**"Getting rid of the ties that hold me here will help me reach my goal."**_

_'I can't sway you...'_

"_**You're so ungrateful to people just because they care about you!"**_

_'I can't convince you...'_

She knew that he was lost that day he battled with Naruto at the Final Valley. She had told him that he was too far in the darkness. Yet, she had told herself that she would save him.

_**"But…one day, when I get stronger…I'll do my best to get you back into the light."**_

She had said that to him, as if it were a silent promise hidden within the statement.

_'I-I can't protect you...'_

She couldn't stop Madara from telling Sasuke horrible things. She couldn't protect him from Madara's words.

It was those words that Madara had said to Sasuke that had ignited the darkness inside of the boy, ridding of what little light that had remained at one point.

_'I can't even save you...from your own hate and darkness.'_

Unlike Naruto, Hikari hadn't been chasing after Sasuke. Sasuke had found her and taken her into his team. That's what she believed had happened. But...

_'I was chasing you...the whole time. I wanted to catch up to you...to love you endlessly and make you see that there was hope for you. That you had a bright future ahead. Secretly, that's what I told myself in the back of my mind. I could've left anytime...but I chose not to because I didn't want to leave you. I was afraid that if I walked away, that would be it; the last time I would ever see you.'_

She had only been lying to herself, much like Sakura and Naruto had, though they hadn't seen Sasuke like this the last time they had encountered him. Her hopes had been too high, and she had expected too much.

Slowly, she fell to her knees as a choked sob escaped from her throat, her body shaking. All she had ended up doing was given herself false hope. This was the outcome of that.

"I-I...I can't..."

"Hikari-chan..."

"Love can be a beautiful thing, but it can also be a painful thing," Sakura looked at her teacher as he spoke, his eyes watching Hikari, holding sympathy in them. "With every rose comes a sharp thorn, and if you're not careful, you'll prick your finger and hurt yourself."

Sakura's green eyes saddened more if possible. Giving a nod in agreement, she knelt beside her sobbing friend and put an around her shoulder.

"In this case, there was no flower. Only thorns." Kakashi murmured, leaping up and grabbing Naruto as he was knocked back from the impact, landing safely with him.

Hikari glanced up weakly, noticing that Zetsu was standing with Sasuke now. Sasuke was breathing heavy, his vision weakening rapidly.

"Now...it's all clear." She heard Naruto say as Kakashi reprimanded him for not listening to him.

"What do you mean, Naruto?"

They all tensed when Madara appeared, Hikari visibly trembling. "What's going on, Sasuke?" he asked upon seeing Sasuke's condition, "I told you to go home and rest..." He sighed in annoyance and looked over at the group, looking straight at Naruto. "The Nine-Tails, huh? It seems you cannot suppress the urge to fight when you two get together. I'll arrange a proper place for you to hunt the Nine-Tails," he told Sasuke, looking at him before looking back over at the group, this time at Hikari. "For now, we retreat."

Hikari stood shakily as Zetsu called forth several clones. "N-No...Sasuke..."

"Coming, Hikari?"

"..."

"Of course not. After all, you don't have the baby with you."

Like that, everyone became silent, Hikari and Sasuke both tensing as the older male who they had been sure knew nothing about their child mentioned the baby. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe.

"Baby? I don't have a baby."

He smirked behind his orange mask. "Oh? His name is Kyo Daichi Uchiha. As far as I know, Itachi never had a lover. Sasuke is the only Uchiha besides myself left, so if it's not your child, then whose is it?" his smirk only widened.

"D-Don't-!"

"Oh, I won't do anything to him. _Yet_."

Just like that, Hikari's world crumbled and she was suddenly thrown into fear. She screamed as terrible thoughts of what Madara would do the little infant raced through her mind, trying to ignore his words. Hikari covered her ears, crying softly as she felt herself slipping away from consciousness and into sleep.

Her ears caught one last thing before she was out.

"_Why are you so fixated on me?!"_

"_Because you're my friend!"_

_'Naruto...'_

* * *

**A/N: Got kind of messy near the end, but meh...maybe someone liked it xD? Starting the next chapter ASAP. Review please! LATER TATERS!**


	77. What lies ahead

**A/N: Hi! Last chapter seemed like it was enjoyed, so here's the next one that will hopefully not suck! I liked writing the last bits of the previous chapter a lot because we got to see Hikari's vulnerable side, and how she really kind of felt. We'll see more of that in this chapter, and some other stuff, so read away to find out :)!**

**SIDE NOTE: Twilight has been getting several negative (kind of) reviews for this story :D! I scared them off with Hikari's icky character development in the first forty chapters, and the other one had the nerve to complain about how sueish Hikari was in the first part of the story and compliment me on my ability to write. Both seemed to hate it so much that they didn't even want to bother reading the rest of the story xD! Oh well, their loss~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters. I simply own my own characters and this story.**

* * *

Hikari laid in bed, a sleeping Kyo right next to her. Since she had returned to the village earlier that day, she had come straight home and been this way; unmoving, continuing to watch the infant sleep. Outside in the hallway, she could hear the quiet murmurs of Yuna and Hiroshi. She didn't care enough to try and figure out what they were talking about, and made no effort to listen to them. When they had arrived home, Naruto had mentioned something about gathering everyone up to explain what had happened, but she hadn't cared enough to go with everyone else. Why would she? She had been there and seen everything, so there was no point to be there to listen to a recap, and everyone would stare at her too. Why? Because they knew about her and Sasuke, and knew that he was Kyo's father.

It made Hikari feel very ashamed.

Curling up, she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. She was so ashamed of herself and her feelings that she wished had never existed. It hurt so much, and she felt so incredibly numb, like someone had punched her heart and stomped on it a few times before throwing it back into her chest. Hikari wanted to cry, but she had cried enough earlier and made herself so vulnerable. The others had all seen that, and she hated it so much. She was angry with herself because she couldn't look at Naruto right now. Why?

She was _angry_ with him.

Naruto hadn't done anything wrong, yet here she was, mad at him. She wanted to help Sasuke, save him. Naruto was the only one that would ever be able to do it though, and that made her upset. She didn't want to be upset with Naruto over something so stupid, but she couldn't help it. Perhaps she felt this way because she wasn't any help at all. Sasuke didn't seem like he had listened to her words, and he showed no sympathy when he stabbed her while she was trying to save Karin and Danzo. He didn't look like he felt sorry for it, and that's what hurt.

It seemed that Sasuke _didn't_ care about her anymore.

"Hikari," Yuna's soft voice reached her ears, the blonde peeking into the room, "What do you want for dinner?"

"I'm not hungry..."

Yuna sighed quietly, closing the door and walking back to the kitchen. Hikari opened her eyes and looked at Kyo, struggling to hold back the sob that wanted to rip through her throat. Madara had either made Zetsu follow Sasuke one day when he came to visit herself and Kyo, or he had tracked him himself. She knew that Sasuke couldn't have told him about Kyo, because it wasn't Madara's business to know about Sasuke's personal affairs. And judging by how Sasuke had looked surprised when the man had mentioned their son, he had no idea Madara had found out. It was just one more thing to add stress onto Hikari and she was afraid that if she turned her back for one minute, she'd turn back around and Kyo would be gone. Pulling the infant close, she pressed a soft kiss to his hair, squeezing her eyes shut as tears started to form.

"I-I'll protect you, okay? Mommy will always be here..." She whispered, unaware that someone was listening in from outside her bedroom door.

Hiroshi leaned against the wall, catching every word that Hikari murmured to her child. When she had come home earlier, she had walked right past himself and Yuna and ignored their calls for her to come back. He figured that something must have happened during Team Seven's encounter with Sasuke, and that whatever it was was why Hikari was acting so distant from everyone. Kakashi had stopped by thirty minutes earlier and told them both what had happened, but he hadn't given all the details, like what had really went down. All he knew was that Hikari had left to go and try to stop Sasuke herself. The only explanation he could think of was...

She had failed.

* * *

_**~The following day~**_

Hikari walked around the village, pushing a sleeping Kyo around in a stroller as she ran a few errands. She didn't want to be outside. Yuna had insisted she go, and when Hikari protested about leaving Kyo, Yuna had revealed the stroller. Tired of arguing, she had given in and gone ahead anyway.

While she had been picking up some supplies, she had overheard several people talking about Kakashi. This was how she learned that her Sensei was to be the next Hokage. While it surprised her, it didn't shock her. Kakashi was a smart man, and strong. He was a bit of a pervert too since he was always reading Make-out Paradise, but he was wise and gave good advice. She didn't understand why anyone had not picked him for the job in the first place. Had Danzo lived, Hikari believed that the village would have been put through some sort of oppression, and while she felt bad that Danzo went the way he did, she didn't miss him one bit.

Currently, she was in the grocery store and looking for a few things Yuna had asked her to get. Humming softly, she picked up a jar of peanut butter first.

"That's the Sarutobi girl," a woman murmured softly to another woman, her voice hushed, "I heard that she's the mother of Uchiha Sasuke's child..."

The other woman gasped softly, "The boy who left the village? Really?"

"Yes, yes. You know he killed Danzo, right? I also heard that he was responsible for attacking the Hidden Cloud's Jinchuuriki."

"Goodness..." She looked at Hikari, "And she was always such a good child. To think that she's involved with the Uchiha boy, let alone raising his child!"

Though the two were quiet, Hikari heard them loud and clear. Grabbing several more things, she placed them in the basket she was carrying and pushed the stroller forward, hurrying past the two women to checkout so she could just go home. This was all she had been getting today: murmurs about her behind her back. She quickly pulled some money out and paid for the groceries, taking the bag of things and rushing out of the store.

_'Why?'_

"Hikari!"

She kept walking, not wanting to stop and have to listen to people talk about her the way they were. She heard a dog bark and she knew that it was Kiba who was calling after her.

"Oi! Wait up!" Kiba shouted, running after her with Akamaru. They fell in step with her, his eyes looking at her curiously and a big grin on his face, "Geez, you sure are fast! Where are you headed to in such a hurry?"

"Home..."

"Need some help with those bags? I don't mind carrying them for you!" He grunted when she shoved them into his arms, blinking in surprise though he didn't say anything about it. She was acting strange, especially when they had got home yesterday. She walked off without even a goodbye, and Naruto hadn't mentioned much about why Hikari had been there with them. He wanted to ask her about it, but Shikamaru advised him not to.

"Hey, Sarutobi! How does it feel to raise the child of a monster!?"

Kiba frowned when he heard the man, looking over at him while Hikari stared ahead of her, not stopping.

"You should be exiled from this village after associating yourself with someone like Sasuke Uchiha! It makes you a traitor just like him!"

Hikari's hands tightened around the stroller, so tight that her knuckles started to turn white.

"Stupid little bitch. I bet you let anyone fuck you if you let Sasuke touch you."

_Bitch._

_Slut._

_Whore. _

_Traitor._

"H-Hey, let go of me!"

Kiba snarled at the man, holding him by the collar of his shirt as he glared at him, "Shut-up!"

"S-Stop!"

"Take back what you just said to her."

"W-What?"

"Take it back. _Now_."

"D-Dude, c-chill out! I-I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to her!" Kiba growled, infuriated as he pointed at Hikari who had stopped walking. "Apologize to her right now!"

"O-Okay! S-Sorry, Sarutobi-san!"

"...Whatever..." Hikari murmured, staring down at the ground. Kiba threw the man aside and looked at the other people who he had been badmouthing his friend, snarling at them and shooting a glare their ways.

"You got something bad to say about her, come say it to me first! Got it? If I hear anyone trash talking about Hikari, I'll fucking _destroy _you!"

Akamaru barked, and everyone cowered back, afraid that Kiba would sic Akamaru on them next. He huffed and turned back around, putting an arm around Hikari's shoulders and leading her away. This wasn't the first time he'd heard it. He had heard people talking about Hikari like this around the time that Danzo had been appointed the next Hokage. He'd sent people glares when he heard them say something about his friend, but this was the first time he'd felt like killing them.

"Why?"

"Hm?" He looked at her, tilting his head slightly.

"Why did you do that?" Hikari asked, her voice soft.

"Because we're friends, 'kay? You knew that already, right?" He smiled softly when she nodded. "I know that what they're saying isn't true either, so there's no need for them to spread lies like that." He made a face, sighing.

He liked her. Hikari knew he did. He had asked her out shortly after she had returned to the village after being gone for almost three years. She'd accepted going out on a date with him, but in the end she had told him that she thought that being friends would be best. While Kiba had been a little disappointed, he was happy that he could still be close with her as a friend, even though he still harbored feelings for her.

"So...how are your injuries?"

"H-Huh?"

"Your injuries. Sakura said you got a little beaten up..." His eyes were full of concern, and Hikari wanted to cry.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little sore, but it's better than being dead, right?" She smiled weakly, and he frowned.

"Yeah..." He nodded slowly, watching her out of the corner of his eye as they walked. She may have been physically okay, but mentally... He could see that she wasn't okay. They sat down on a bench, Kiba holding the groceries while Hikari turned the stroller to face her so she could check on Kyo. His eyes softened when the baby cooed quietly upon seeing his mother, a smile slowly making its way to his face, "He sure is a cute little tyke," he commented, looking at Hikari with a smile.

She nodded slowly and stared at Kyo silently as she sat there with Kiba, watching Akamaru stick his head in the stroller to sniff at the infant, the child cooing in surprise at seeing something new. The big white dog yipped softly, whining as Kiba moved him away from the child while Hikari took Kyo out and held him close. Kiba tilted his head when he noticed she kept looking around from time to time, as if she were checking to see if someone was watching her.

It made him nervous.

"K-Kiba-kun!"

He looked up and saw Hinata running over to him, Shino close behind her. When they reached him, they stopped and Hinata bent over, trying to catch her breath. "What's up?"

"It's T-Tsunade-sama...She's awake!"

* * *

_**~Hours later~**_

"War, huh?"

Shikamaru nodded, his arms crossed over his chest as he explained the situation at hand to Hiroshi. "Hai. The necessary preparations are being made as we speak."

Yuna looked at him, her eyes sad upon hearing the news. "I take it that this has something to do with Madara Uchiha?"

"He declared war at the Five Kage Summit."

"Tch..." Hiroshi narrowed his eyes and looked at the ceiling, exasperated. "War is what destroyed our clan. This war could destroy the entire ninja world."

"Hiroshi, don't..." Yuna murmured, touching his arm gently. She could feel him shaking under her touch, and her eyes saddened. She understood why he was angry, and she couldn't blame him.

She had lost both her parents in the last war. And she knew the pain of it all too well.

"This war...it's not just for the sake of fighting each other. This is a war where all the nations are coming together to do one thing: Protect the last two remaining Jinchuriki," Shikamaru explained, his face serious as ever.

"It's a war to protect Naruto and the Eight Tails host."

All three looked over to see Hikari standing in the doorway, wearing baggy clothes, her hair damp from the shower she had just finished taking, her face solemn. She stared directly at Shikamaru silently as he turned to look at her. "That's why the nations are coming together, right? So Madara doesn't capture Naruto and Bee."

"Yeah."

"But wouldn't it make more sense to have them on the battlefield?" Hiroshi winced as Yuna elbowed him in the side. "Ow..."

"The whole point of this war is to protect them. That's why they're going to be kept somewhere where no one can find them." Shikamaru explained, sighing softly. "This whole thing is just troublesome, ya know?"

"How does Lady Tsunade plan to keep Naruto from finding out?"

"While Naruto is a great ninja, he's also somewhat dense. He'll believe just about anything you tell him."

It was true. Naruto was quite the knuckle head after all. Shikamaru finished briefing Hiroshi and Yuna a while longer before he turned to Hikari.

"I know what happened at the summit."

Hiroshi opened his mouth, only to stop as Yuna grabbed his arm and dragged him away so Shikamaru and Hikari could speak in private. The brunette stared at the floor silently, not wanting to talk about it. It hurt too much, and she didn't want to cry anymore.

"Go away, Shikamaru..." She pushed past him and he grabbed her wrist to stop her, tightening his grip as she tried to rip her arm from him.

"I promised...I promised Asuma-sensei I would look out for you. And I meant it. I know you're angry. I know that you're hurting. But we're going to war, and if you go onto the battlefield like this, you'll be one of the first people to die."

"I'm not going to war. I have a son I need to raise."

"You're not getting the picture, are you?"

"I'm a single mother, Shikamaru! It's my job to raise my child! And be there for him! I have to protect him, especially during times like these!"

"This war isn't just to protect Naruto, Hikari! It's to protect Kyo and all the other children that make up the next generation!"

"Y-You don't understand-" She stopped mid sentence as he grabbed both off her wrists and held her still as she tried to squirm free.

"I do understand! This war...is meant to protect the entire ninja world...if Madara succeeds and we lose, do you have _any_ idea what kind of world the next generation will have to live in?!" He shook her, and she could see the annoyance in his eyes, "Do you understand now, Hikari?! The children of the village are the_ king_!"

Her eyes widened, and she recalled the many times she had heard the Third talk about the "King". He had often brought it up during conversations with Asuma, but he had never really discussed it with her or Konohamaru. It was probably because they were too young to really understand back then.

"Their future is in our hands...your sons future...rests in your hands, as well as ours." He held her up as her knees buckled underneath her, and she let out a shrill sob. Shikamaru didn't have to ask her why she was crying, because Sakura had taken the time to sit him down and explain what all had gone down during their time fighting Sasuke, and the words Madara had spoken just before he disappeared with Sasuke. He understood why she was so scared, and he couldn't blame her.

She was just doing what was normal: acting like a good mother should.

And she was a wonderful mother.

* * *

**A/N: I planned to have more in this chapter, but I felt where I stopped it was a good enough place. I'm aware that it's all over the place, I get it. I'm just really...stumped with this story. I need help so badly ;~; REVIEW~! LATER TATERS!**


	78. Chapter 78

**A/N: As of now, I have a general idea of where I want this story to go and how I want to do it (kinda?) But updates will be slow probably, so I apologize in advance. Since the Anime is still kinda behind compared with the Manga, and I use the episodes to write this story, it takes a bit of time ^^;; Plus it takes me a while to think of what to write so yeah! Anyway, this chapter will hopefully not suck XD Enjoy~**

* * *

"S-Rank mission, huh?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, adjusting his backpack momentarily before giving Hikari his signature grin. "Yep! I'm going to a resort to meet an octopus~!"

"An...octopus...?" She titled her head, a frown etching onto her face. What did an octopus have to do with anything?

"And I may fight Sasuke as well..." He added, his grin disappearing and his face becoming serious.

Hikari's voice was soft as she spoke again, "I see..." she murmured, adjusting Kyo in her arms. Naruto looked down at Kyo, the infant cooing softly and causing him to smile. Gently, he reached forward and rested a hand on his head gently.

"Ne, I'll bring you a souvenir back!" He grinned brightly, and Kyo cooed again as Naruto talked to him, "Just don't cause too much trouble for Hikari. She needs you to keep her happy in times like these, ya know?" He smiled softly as Kyo giggled, and gently petted his head before pulling his hand back and looking up at Hikari as she laid Kyo in his crib. "Well, I guess I better get going. Don't wanna keep Captain Yamato waiting!"

"N-Naruto," she grabbed his arm as he started to leave the room, causing him to stop and look at her, "about Sasuke...I...about what happened at the Five Kage Summit, I just...I just wanted to-"

His arms wrapping around her and pulling her into a tight embrace stopped her from talking.

"I know. I'll take care of Sasuke, Hikari. So you don't need to worry about it, okay?" He gave her his signature grin, and she felt her eyes begin to water. "H-Hey, don't cry..."

"T-Thank you...for saving me the other day..." She whispered, burying her face in his chest as she let the tears flow freely. She wanted to talk to him about Sasuke, but she couldn't get his name out no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to tell Naruto she knew that he could stop him, and that he was the only one who had the ability to even go against Sasuke. She wanted to say so much, but she didn't know where to start. Naruto pulled away and smiled kindly

"Don't worry...okay?" He brushed the tears away with his thumbs, "It's going to be okay. I promise! Believe it!" He grinned and opened the door. "See ya when I see ya, yeah?"

_'Naruto...you...' _she smiled and nodded, sniffing softly. "Y-Yeah...be safe, Naruto..."

He gave her a thumbs up and left, Hikari staring at his back.

_'You've really matured...' _She smiled softly and watched him until he was no longer in her line of vision.

* * *

_**Days later**_

Hikari sat at a long table with several other members of the Sarutobi clan, Kyo in a baby sling around her chest. They were discussing how they would all be playing a role in the upcoming war. With only two main branch family members left, the decision of who would lead them was in question. Hikari wanted to do it, but she didn't see how she could go off to war and leave Kyo.

The Sarutobi clan was known for the great flame technique, as well as their high willpower, so it was most likely that they would all be heading to the front lines directly. Kyo whimpered, and Hikari rocked him gently.

"If only Asuma was still here," someone murmured softly, several others nodding in agreement with him, "We'd be prepared."

"We're going to be fine." Hikari said, looking up. "We're a strong clan on our own, so we'll make it. We have our Will of Fire."

"Hikari-chan, what will you be doing?"

"I..." She stopped, unsure of the answer herself. "That's something I don't know quite yet. If I have to fight, then I will. But...I have a baby that I need to raise."

"You're not going to war with us then, Hikari-chan. If you die, the child will have no one."

Hikari shook her head and closed her eyes. Death was scary, but something that terrified her even more was that her child would end up having to grow up in a world full of hate and fighting. She didn't want that to happen to the next generation at all. Beside her was Hiroshi, who reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He watched as his niece stood up and opened her eyes too look at everyone in the room, her gaze slowly drifting to the ceiling.

"I...I have seen many people die in my lifetime. People close to me and people who were complete strangers. People I didn't even care about..." her thoughts wandered to Danzo, and how she had witnessed his death by Sasuke's hand. She felt an involuntary shudder move down to her spine, and she shook her head. "This war...it's not just about us, you see. It's about protecting something, no, _someone_. This war is about protecting a person that matters to me a lot, but this war is also about protecting what generations and generations before our time have worked so hard to create. I know there's a lot at stake, and we're all rather weary of joining up with the other nations for this fight, but we have to look past those incidents that may have occurred between and ourselves years ago. It's not going to be easy, I know. That's why we have to give it our all and do our best. This war we're going to isn't about us. It's about protecting the things most precious to us, and the people. That's why..." she bit her lip and opened her eyes, determination in them, "I'm going to fight to protect what's important to me."

Hiroshi glanced around and smirked at the shocked looks on several clan member's faces. _'Kaori, do you see this child of yours? She's got guts like you did.' _

Hikari looked around at everyone and smiled lightly. "My grandpa...his will of fire was strong. And he instilled that will onto us when passed. Asuma...he did the same. We have to protect that will! We cannot let Madara Uchiha sway us from that belief we have!"

_'She's going to make an excellent leader someday...'_

"Who is going to lead our clan on the front lines though?"

"Hikari-chan, would you...?"

She shook her head and smiled, "As honored as I am, I cannot take that responsibility. I can, however, make a suggestion. Hiroshi Kietsu."

"Huh?" Hiroshi blinked, surprised. "Me? I'm not even a Sarutobi."

"No, but you're family. I already know mother's clan is joining up with us to help fight in the war. And they have someone to lead them. So, I am asking you as a relative...lead my clan."

Hiroshi thought about it for a bit before he nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

That evening, she was dragged to Barbe-Q by Sakura, Tenten, Ino, and Hinata already there. Tenten waved at her excitedly as she followed Sakura over to the table. "Ne, Hikari-chan! It's been a while!"

She smiled and nodded, looking around at everyone. "It sure has..."

"Aww, you brought the baby~" Ino squealed, looking down at Kyo and cooing to him. "Hiya, cutie!"

Despite Sakura's suggestion to leave Kyo with Yuna so Hikari could enjoy herself, she had brought the child along anyway, the mere idea of being separated from the infant a terrifying thought to her after Madara's threat.

"Look, they even have special ladies night combo!" Ino exclaimed, looking at a menu with Tenten, "I can't resist good deals!"

Hikari smiled slightly and looked at the menu, unsure of what she should get. She ordered a glass of water for herself and listened as everyone gave their orders, and she figured she'd just eat whatever was ordered by the others. They would all be sharing the food anyway. She happened to look at the table next to them and saw some of the guys sitting together, trying to decide what to order while Choji proclaimed they would eat until their bellies were full, a smile finding its way onto her face. She watched them as everyone else around her talked, sighing softly. The smell of meat cooking hit her nose, and she closed her eyes as her mouth seemed to water slightly. "Mm.."

Sakura and the others were talking about why they always hung out, and she said it was because they had taken the chunin exams together. The chunin exams. Man, it brought memories back.

"In the end, it was canceled anyway."

"Because of the destruction of the Hidden Leaf?"

_That part was something she truly didn't like to talk about at all._

Kyo cooed, and she looked down at him and smiled, grateful for the distraction he brought. "Aww..." She murmured, kissing his forehead. He had his mothers caramel eye color and his fathers raven colored hair, a truly beautiful child created by two beautiful people if people were to look past that he was half Uchiha.

"Ne, ne! What are you going to do, Hikari-chan?" Tenten asked, bringing Hikari's attention back to her friends.

"Huh?"

"About the war. What are you going to do?" Tenten asked, the others all looking at her. Hikari smiled slightly and looked at the baby in her arms.

"I've decided that I'm going to fight as well."

It surprised them all, her words. Sakura frowned, looking at her carefully. "What about Kyo? He's still rather young, and he needs you..."

"I know. And...And I need him too, but this war...it's not just about protecting the last two Jinchuuriki. It's about protecting the next generation and the current generation. That's why I'll fight."

She could see it in their eyes; they disagreed with her, and that was okay. She wasn't asking them to. Hikari looked down at Kyo again and cooed to him, smiling softly. "Cute little Kyo..."

Eventually, no one said anymore about it, and she heard Tenten laughing about something several minutes later, looking up as she heard someone coming in.

"What's all this? A girls-only gathering?"

It was Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade?" The girls exclaimed, Hikari noticing something seemed a little off about their leader. Her cheeks were flushed, and she had this stupid grin on her face, while Shizune looked a little nervous.

"Well...it's a girls' get together!" Tenten explained, smiling sheepishly.

Tsunade frowned, "A girls' get together?" She grinned brightly and stumbled over to them, "Move over, move over."

"But Lady Tsunade..." Tenten began, trying to find the right words, "You're not really a girl anymo-"

"Is it my chest? Are you saying they're too big?" Tsunade asked, grabbing one of her breasts and squeezing it, a frown on her face. "First things first, bring me a shochu!" She shouted.

"It's way past your first drink..." Shizune mumbled before she ate a bit of meat, chewing carefully.

"So, what are you talking about? Are you talking about the boys you like?" Tsunade grinned, looking at Hinata.

Again, Hikari allowed herself to tune them out, focusing more on Kyo. It was nice, being able to relax just a bit, but that didn't mean she had her guard down. Madara's words still echoed in her head.

"_Oh, I won't do anything to him. **Yet**." _

Tsunade's loud announcement of how they were all going to gamble made her jump slightly, and Kyo whined. She stood up slowly. "Ah, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to pass. It's time for this little one to go to bed." She smiled, bowing slightly in apology. "Thank you for having me, everyone. I enjoyed it."

As she turned to go, she nearly bumped into someone. "I'll walk you home."

It was Kiba.

Hikari smiled, nodding. "Alright, thanks..."

He took the diaper bag from her so she didn't have to worry about it, and led the way out of the restaurant. It was a nice night, the sky clear and the moon full. Hikari took a deep breath, enjoying the peaceful night air. For just a moment, she allowed herself to finally relax.

* * *

The next afternoon while Hikari was preparing lunch, Konohamaru had come into the kitchen with Moegi and Udon, the three almost swarming her. She looked at them, noticing that they had notepads and pens in their hands, as though they were going to write something down. "What is it?"

"Sis, what can we do to help out with the war effort?" Konohamaru asked her, eager.

"We want to do something for the sake of the village!" Moegi explained, a determined look in her eyes.

"Yeah." Udon mumbled, nodding his head in agreement, snot dripping out of his nose.

She smiled, grabbing a tissue and handing it to Udon before she looked at the three of them. "Well, I heard the medical team was moving a bunch of supplies today. Perhaps you could help them out."

"We already did that."

"Oh." She blinked and put her hands on her hips.

"I'm a full fledged ninja now, sis! I want to do something bigger."

She frowned, kneeling down to his level. "War isn't a game, Kono...you're too young to go onto the front lines. You're all still genin."

"We're not babies!" He glared up at her, balling his hands into fists, "We can help! You're being like Sakura! She yelled at us and then Shikamaru went on about a King, and then Tsunade-sama said we were fools for wanting to go to the front lines!"

Her eyes widened in surprise. So, Shikamaru was trying to teach him what Asuma had spent years trying to pass on to Shikamaru...

"You're not babies, no. But you're not old enough to fight in a war. People die...that's what happens in wars. So...you're job is to make sure the people of our village stay safe while we all go to the front lines, Konohamaru. I know Shikamaru probably confused you about the king, but one day you'll understand it. And when you do, you'll understand why everyone is acting the way they are today."

"You're like the others!" He yelled, running out of the house, Moegi and Udon following behind him and calling after him.

Shaking her head, she sighed. "Mom, dad...if you two are seeing this, I wish you could do something about how knuckleheaded that boy is." She murmured, smiling softly.

* * *

**A/N: I'm just trying to get back into the method of writing for this story. So, next chapter, war is going to start~ LATER TATERS!**


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